New Britain police have released body camera footage of the arrests of the three people charged in connection with the death of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia—her mother, her mother’s sister and her mother’s boyfriend.
The new video comes after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Mimi’s death a homicide caused by fatal child abuse with starvation. Police discovered the little girl’s body in a storage tote outside an abandoned home in New Britain on Oct. 8. But investigators believe Mimi died one year earlier while the family was living in Farmington, where they kept her body in the basement before moving to New Britain.
Police took Mimi’s mother, Karla Garcia, and her aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, into custody at their apartment on Oct. 12.
In the video, Karla Garcia answered the door on her cellphone and stayed silent as she was quickly arrested for her daughter’s death. Officers wore tactical vests and spread out looking for Jonatan Nanita and calling his name before they were told he wasn’t there.
Jackelyn Garcia appeared shocked as an officer put her in handcuffs next. “Turn around," the officer said.
“Why?” Jackelyn Garcia asked.
"Put your hands behind your back. You're under arrest,” he responded.
“For what?” Jackelyn said as she cooperated.
The scene was very calm as police officers walked the sisters out of the building and later into the police station.
But it was a very different situation when officers took Nanita into custody the following night, in Waterbury. It came after a brief manhunt and chase. The footage shows Nanita on the ground, struggling with multiple officers, during which he appears to get some scrapes and cuts to his face.
“I can't feel my face. I'm bleeding," Nanita yelled.
Once handcuffed, Nanita said officers didn’t need to beat him up.
“I was going to turn myself in. Y'all didn't have to do that,” Nanita said.
“You should’ve turned yourself in a while ago,” said one officer.
“I was gonna,” Nanita added.
“Turn yourself in? A little late for that,” responded another officer.
“I was. I didn't even do that to that girl, bro. I didn't,” Nanita said before another officer came over and told him to shut up.
The released footage also included clips from after Nanita was transported to the police department, where he was shown the warrant for his arrest and processed. He refused to sign a piece of paperwork given to him.
"I'm not trying to be rude or anything. I want to cooperate, but I'm not signing that,” Nanita stated.
Nanita agreed to be fingerprinted, which the video captures. During that time, he asked the officer why he was facing charges, but the officer replied that he didn’t write the warrant.
Nanita and Karla Garcia were arrested on several charges, including murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder with special circumstances, intentional cruelty to a child, unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a child.
Nanita was also later charged with evidence tampering and improper disposal of a body. Police said he was the one who left Mimi’s remains at the boarded-up home on Clark Street.
Jackelyn Garcia faces charges of intentional cruelty, unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a child.
According to the arrest warrants, Mimi suffered prolonged abuse before her death, which included being zip-tied in the corner of a room on "pee pads" and being left to go to the bathroom on herself.
Investigators also believe she was regularly denied food and was not fed in the two weeks before she died, according to the warrants. Mimi’s remains were found to weigh about 27 pounds when they were discovered, which a medical examiner attributed to “severe malnourishment” and not the state of decay the body was in
Karla Garcia allegedly admitted the abuse during her police interview.
All three suspects remain in custody and are due in court next on Nov. 14.