ALFRED — A Texas man who shot his girlfriend twice and left her on the side of Cascade Road in Saco in May of last year has been sentenced to 29 years in jail.
Geoffrey Reese, 27, was sentenced Tuesday afternoon at York County Superior Court on charges of elevated aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Reese was arrested in May 2008 after twice shooting his girlfriend, Tonya Garza, who was 32 at the time, and leaving her on the side of Cascade Road in Saco in the early hours of the morning. He and Garza had recently relocated from Texas and had been staying at a hotel in Old Orchard Beach.
In a statement last month, Garza said that she forgave Reese but she thought he should have the maximum sentence. She said that Reese was cold and calculating and had left her on the side of the road to “die like a dog.”
Assistant District Attorney Justina McGettigan said that had she not had medical intervention, Garza would have died.
Reese, who threw out Garza’s belongings after the incident, showed no remorse for what he did, said McGettigan.
During the sentencing Tuesday, Reese said that he had loved Garza and cared for her deeply, and he apologized to her as well as his family. He said that his actions had “undoubtedly affected everyone” close to him and that he “shattered their expectations.”
Reese said the events that transpired in May of 2008 were “based on a series of foolish decisions that I regret deeply.”
McGettigan said that Reese was not someone who had made a foolish mistake, but someone who was dangerous, despite having a strong support system. She described Reese as controlling and obsessed with Garza. She said that he had written in a letter that he was glad to come to court so he could see Garza, because he missed her.
“We need to be protected from this man,” she said.
McGettigan listed Reese’s previous convictions, including robbery, theft, forgery and possession of marijuana.
“He’s been in constant trouble since the time he was 18,” she said.
Attorney Heather Gonzales, who along with Clifford Strike was representing Reese, said that the crime Reese committed was serious, but the gun was not fired at point blank range and Reese did not chase Garza.
“There are certainly more outrageous ways that this crime could have been committed,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales said that Reese had been a model student and athlete, but fell into the wrong crowd.
“Your honor, now is not the time to give up on Mr. Reese,” said Gonzales.
Reese’s mother, Anna Hendricks, said that Reese had the love and support of a Christian family.
“I did not give birth to a cold blooded killer,” said Hendricks.
She asked Fritzsche to have mercy on him.
“We love our son, and we know that he is capable of changing,” she said.
Justice Paul Fritzsche said that despite the strong support of his family, Reese “did something that was terribly, terribly wrong.”
He said he thought that Reese showed a lack of empathy and concern for Garza.
“It is most unfortunate that this has occurred, but the sentence had to be what it is because of the harm that was inflicted on Miss Garza, who did not deserve what happened to her,” said Fritzsche.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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