Beating suspect receives probation

Garcia, 26, sentenced in Christmas beating

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

Alexander Garcia, of Twin Lakes, received three years probation and an additional 65 days in Kenosha County Jail for his role in the brutal Christmas morning beating of 58-year-old Thomas Eppers Sr. in Kenosha County Circuit Court Oct. 21.

Garcia, 26, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery Sept. 6, less than a week before his trial scheduled for Sept. 12, when a jury expected to hear charges related to beating that involved a baseball bat.

Alexander Garcia
Alexander Garcia

Originally, Garcia stood accused of felony aggravated battery with intent to cause great bodily harm and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

But, according to online court records, at a Sept. 6 pretrial hearing, the felony charge was amended to aggravated battery while the misdemeanor charge was dismissed.

According to the criminal complaint, Garcia faced a maximum 15 years in prison for the original felony charge.

Leading up to the Oct. 21 sentencing hearing, letters and correspondence from multiple victims, including the Eppers family, along with letters advocating on behalf of Garcia were taken into consideration, online court records stated.

As a condition of his probation, his firearm ownership and voting rights have been relinquished along with ordered restitution, including court costs.

Also, Garcia is allowed Huber work release if he obtains employment.

Since his arrest Dec. 25 of last year, the case incurred multiple delays, including a change of judges and a new public defender.

Additionally, several key pieces of evidence, including DNA from the baseball bat allegedly used to beat Eppers Sr. was still awaiting analysis.

Garcia was intoxicated when he allegedly struck Eppers Sr. repeatedly in the head and torso with the bat, according to a criminal complaint.

The blows rendered him unresponsive by the time officers arrived.

Twin Lakes Rescue transported Eppers to Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington, where Flight for Life helicopter airlifted him to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

According to a GoFundMe page set up by the family, Eppers underwent facial reconstruction surgery on June 28, and has shown improvement in vision and coordination.

Garcia, who was staying at the residence with Eppers’ daughter, Abigail, had a previous altercation with Eppers, the complaint alleges.

In a January preliminary hearing, officers testified that the altercation took place in La Crosse, where Garcia was allegedly rude to the family.

Eppers Sr. responded, with claims he threw Garcia into a nearby body of water.


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