Father of Morgan Hill woman allegedly killed by husband 'not mad' as he honors her legacy

MORGAN HILL, Calif. - She was a proud daddy’s girl, a hardcore and loyal 49ers fan, and a loving and devoted mom and wife who worked nonstop for her family.  

That’s how George Garcia is remembering his daughter, 34-year-old Jasmyne Garcia, who was allegedly beaten to death by her husband in their Morgan Hill home earlier this month, with the couple’s two youngest kids inside.

Remembering Jasmyne 

The 56-year-old dad described how his daughter was kind and loved by many with a special gift of lifting up others around her. 

What they're saying:

"Honestly, she'd make anybody feel good. She was really a sweetheart to everybody. I don't recall her having any grudges," the dad shared with KTVU. "There's so much to say about my daughter — an awesome mom and, you know, she was a really, really good wife."

Part of her role as a mom included providing special care of the couple’s middle child, 7-year-old Aaron, who has been battling a rare and aggressive brain cancer for about two years now.

"My daughter was basically his nurse. She knew what to do. She knew everything, how to do it, his medication, everything," Garcia explained, saying since his mother is gone now, the child has been staying at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, where he undergoes treatment.

Previously, Aaron was allowed to go home with mom for stretches in between treatments. 

His other two siblings, his 3-year-old sister and his 14-year-old brother, have been staying at a relative’s home in the South Bay, according to their grandfather. 

Guided by faith

Garcia said his daughter was a woman of deep faith and that faith had given her strength and helped her cope with her son’s illness.

"She knew, because of his condition and her faith, she knew that he might not make it. So she was prepared for that," he shared. "And she made herself at ease. I never heard her get upset and say, ‘Why is this happening? Why is this happening to my baby?' She just stayed strong in faith, and that's what kept her going." 

It’s that same type of faith that the dad said he’s clinging to as he faces life without his only daughter. 

"That's what's keeping myself going right now as well. I have my moments, you know, but I try to do that when I'm alone," Gracia shared. "It's a private time for myself and my daughter. I talk to her all the time. I ask her to give me strength."

Husband charged with murder

The backstory:

Roy Anthony Lopez, 37, is accused of killing Jasmyne Garcia.

Investigators said on the morning of Oct. 3, he drove his wife to Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose. 

According to court documents, once at the hospital, he informed medical staff that he had killed his wife. 

In the documents, investigators also said the victim was found by her 14-year-old son the previous day with severe facial injuries lying on the floor of the primary bedroom of the home. She was in and out of consciousness and the home was damaged and in disarray with blood throughout.

Lopez was formally charged with murder on Wednesday. He's set to return to court on Dec. 15 for a plea hearing. 

‘Not upset and mad,’ dad says

Garcia's demeanor, calm and steady, explained how he’s approaching this heartbreaking tragedy as he told us of the deliberate choice not to give in to anger and rage.

"My faith is what's keeping me strong and keeping me not upset and mad. And you know, I'm not. Because that can take over really quick. If you have no faith, you know, it can go sideways," Garcia said, adding, "Start being upset, mad, and wanting to do things that you don't want to do."

No apparent signs 

The dad also said he did not see any previous signs of violence or abuse toward his daughter from his son-in-law. 

"You know, it's a surprise to us. We don't know what happened. I mean, my daughter never gave us signs, you know? I think he just snapped," Gracia speculated.

He pointed to stress factors that his son-in-law, who worked as a plumber, may have been struggling with.   

"Maybe he was tired, exhausted. Maybe he was worried. They had a really, really high rent where they lived and, you know, work. He did talk a lot about work. It was getting stressful at work, no work, and then being at the hospital with his son Aaron," Garcia said.

If he were to look for any clues or red flags, the dad said, looking back, he remembered his son-in-law seemed to be pulling away from family members.

"Towards the end here, I'm speaking, you know, a few months back, I noticed him a little bit more distant to the kids, to my daughter, to my grandson, the oldest," he said. "That's the only thing really that I got from him. But me being in the home with him, I never saw any raising of his voice. He was really helpful to her. If she ever needed anything, he'd run right over to the store, run right over to buy it for her."

Focus on his family 

Garcia said ultimately, he’s not spending a great amount of energy thinking about the man accused of killing his daughter. 

"My focus is on my daughter right now and my grandkids," Garcia said. "As far as what he's going through, that's between him and God. That's something he's going to have to deal with and that's something that he's going to have to live with for the rest of his life."

And the dad expressed a level of grace and mercy not many in his shoes would possess, saying, "I can't say he was a bad man. I just think he did a bad thing." 

49ers fan

As part of keeping his focus on his family, Garcia sits in the memories of the daughter with whom he shared many traits and many of the same passions.

"Very special bond. I mean, we shared everything. We had the same taste in music and movies and TV series and, you know, even our communication, the way we would hug each other and listen to each other. I was a good listener. She was a good listener," the dad said. "So that's what made my daughter special."

Part of their bond was through their fandom of their favorite football team. Garcia said Jasmyne was born a Niner fan. 

But ultimately, she eclipsed him in their shared love for the team. He believes it happened sometime after she and his grandson Aaron got to meet Nick Bosa during a visit the defensive lineman made to Packard Children's. 

"We went to so many games together," the dad shared. "But what I saw when she went and hung out with Bosa, she just went like 10 steps further into a fan." 

The dad said that she would call and text him during games, all in.

"She's biting her nails, you know, like, ‘Daddy it’s a close game. You think we're going to win?’ And you know, I'm not even watching the game," the dad recounted, as he joked, "Once you start biting your nails, that means you really like it."

He’s also keeping his focus on his grandkids, a bright light amid the loss.

He said he visited Aaron in the hospital on Monday and was delighted to see how he’s progressing. 

"He's a strong boy. For a while, he never ate food, he never drank water because he was always on a feeding tube, and now he's eating really good," the grandpa said.

Garcia said he’s gained weight, as much as 7 pounds recently.

"He's running around in the park at the hospital where he's playing… He makes friends, he's playing like a normal kid. He's got a lot of energy, that's for sure," the grandpa beamed, adding, "I know his mom would be so proud of him right now."

Telling the kids

As the family deals with the painful absence, Garcia said the kids are being given "age appropriate" explanations of what happened to their mother so as not to traumatize them further. He said they are receiving guidance from therapists at Packard Children’s.

"Especially Aaron, I don't think he still knows and realizes what's happened to his mom," the grandpa explained. "They saw what happened to mom. They just don't know that she's no longer with us. I believe we're trying to wait for the right moment," Garcia said.

Family members have created a GoFundMe to help raise money for the three kids Jasmyne Garcia leaves behind.

The fundraising effort has brought in more than $38,000 as of Tuesday. 

"No family should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain of losing someone they love in such a heartbreaking way. We are left trying to understand a loss that no words can truly explain while knowing that Jasmyne should still be here loving her children, making memories, laughing, and living the life she deserved to have," the GoFundMe stated. 

Her family is also hoping it may reach her beloved team.

"These children have already endured so much, and now they face the unimaginable pain of losing their mother," a cousin wrote on Instagram, adding, "I’m hoping the 49ers organization or its players might consider making a donation or offering support to these children during this devastating time."

Full of gratitude

For Jasmyne’s dad, the outpouring of love and support for his daughter has been humbling and astounding.

"It's really overwhelming how many people have donated," he said, full of gratitude. "It's just something that we're, incredibly, thankful for, because, I mean, it's all for the kids, it's for her kids, that's the important part. So that’s a blessing."

And as far as what the dad wants people to remember his daughter for, it’s the love that was poured on her while she was here and the love she returned to the world.  

"She was loved by so many people. You know, that's how she loved back, because of the way she was loved," the dad said.

‘Say something’

Jasmyne Garcia's death came at the beginning of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

When asked if there is a message he wants people to learn from this tragedy, he urged people to speak out and ask for help if they’re hurting or in danger.  

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"I just wanted to share that, for whoever might be going through the same situation that my daughter was going through. They need to speak out, you need to say something to somebody, so at least somebody's aware. It could be the smallest little thing," Garcia said. "If you don't say nothing at all, then nobody can help and everybody's in the dark, and you're the only one, dealing through this situation, whatever situation it may be."

What's next:

Garcia said services will be held for his daughter later this month in Salinas, where she was from. The family will have a viewing on Oct. 29, with the burial held the following day.

"She was an awesome girl. I mean, she was just an awesome girl," her father said. "I don't have any more words for her. I keep her in my thoughts, my prayers, my thoughts. Every day, I keep my babies in my prayers and my thoughts."