ANGOLA, IN (WTVB) – A man who was charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with an April 2016 stabbing incident in Angola has entered guilty pleas to two lesser charges.
32-year-old Edwin Garcia admitted his guilt to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted attempted voluntary manslaughter on Thursday in Steuben County Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement. Both counts are level 2 felony charges in Indiana.
If the plea agreement is accepted, the two original charges would be dismissed by Steuben County prosecutors during a February 14, 2017 sentencing hearing. That was the day his trial was scheduled to get started.
In a tragic bit of irony, Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced on Valentine’s Day for his alleged stabbing role on April 9, 2016 that left his 30-year-old fiance Amber Abuja seriously injured and her 30-year-old brother Michael Abuja dead.
Angola Police say they were called to the area of Washington and Broad Streets at about 3:40 a.m. that morning after several residents called 911 saying they could hear a woman screaming and yelling for help.
Police found Michael Abuja dead following the altercation.
Amber Abuja was first taken to Cameron Hospital before being transferred to a Fort Wayne hospital.
Police then found Garcia inside an abandoned house in the 300 block of East Gilmore Street. Garcia earlier claimed he acted in self defense.
