Family demands justice for murdered Attleboro father, arraigned cold case suspect

ATTLEBORO, R.I. (WLNE) — Mario Garcia, 50, is being held without bail and charged with murder after allegedly stabbing Ismael Recinos-Garcia after an argument in an Attleboro bar in 1991.

Garcia was arraigned in Fall River District Court Tuesday.

He was arrested in Guatemala in December for fatally stabbing Ismael Recinos-Garcia over 30 years ago.

Massachusetts State Police said the stabbing stemmed from a fight that happened in the area of Dean and Bank streets.

After the 1991 murder, Attleboro police identified Garcia as the assailant and obtained an arrest warrant for the murder.

Police said Garcia then immediately fled. Despite extensive efforts by law enforcement agencies in various U.S. jurisdictions, the 50-year-old couldn’t be found.

In 2022, police said he was found living under an alias and operating a shrimp farm in Iztapa, Guatemala.

Garcia tried to escape authorities by jumping into a body of water at the shrimp farm but was caught and placed into custody.

Delia Recinos, the daughter of the victim, laid a candle and flowers in the neighborhood to honor her father.

“I’m here to seek justice for my [father],” said Recinos. “My father deserved a much better way out of this life than what he got. Bleeding out in the street wasn’t the way he was supposed to go. He was supposed to grow old with us.”

Garcia did not appear in court, but his charges were read for the first time Tuesday.

Bristol County’s District Attorney Thomas Quinn said this was a huge accomplishment for Southern New England.

“We will continue to focus on these cases and try to bring justice to family members in cases that have not been solved,” added Quinn.

A pretrial hearing is set for Oct. 20.