GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Wyoming man who was convicted of murdering a Grand Rapids woman back in August 2022 was sentenced Thursday.
Yenly Garcia, 45, will serve a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of 52 years in prison in connection to the death of 33-year-old Mollie Schmidt, who was shot and killed last year.
On Thursday, Judge Scott Noto heard from Mollie's friends and some family members, including her father and sister.
"They say that time heals all wounds. But I think that some are too deep to ever heal," said Kristy Cook, Mollie's sister. "We didn't only lose something big. We also lost a million little things. Never getting to see her big beautiful smile again or hear her goofy laugh she did with some people...It's all gone. It's all of a sudden forever."
Noto said in the hearing that the sentencing is fitting for Garcia.
"I've received a lot of letters, in this case from family members of Mollie. I've heard statements this morning," he said. "One letter that I received, I think sums up this case the best. The first sentence asks a question: 'What kind of a coward takes the life of a 97-pound woman?' I can't think of a better way to characterize this man."
Garcia was originally charged with homicide, open murder and possession of a firearm in connection to the woman's death in September 2022.
He was offered a plea deal in March that carried a minimum sentence of at least 28 years for the homicide charge and two years for the gun charge in exchange for a no-contest plea to second-degree murder.
He pleaded no contest to the murder and firearms charge.
Because of this, he will serve two years in prison for the firearms charge and between 23 and 52 years on the murder charge.
The judge gave him jail credit of 391 days, and ordered him to pay restitution of $1,075 to the family, and $4,729 to the state of Michigan.
Schmidt was last seen at her Plainfield Township home on Aug. 21, 2022. Her friends noted this was unlike her, as Schmidt was a mother of five.
Police believed Schmidt to be with Garcia. After obtaining a search warrant, police found Schmidt's body on the floor of Garcia's bedroom in his Wyoming apartment on Aug. 30. She had died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Law enforcement said they also found a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle in a nightstand near Schmidt's body. Garcia has a previous felony conviction and is not allowed to possess firearms, prosecutors claim.
According to court documents filed against Garcia at his preliminary hearing back in January, detectives also accused him of trying to use Schmidt's credit cards after she went missing.
Garcia, a citizen of Cuba, fled to Mexico and was extradited in September 2022 and booked at the Kent County Jail.
In July 2008, Garcia was arrested for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. Court records reveal disturbing details, describing how a female victim was dragged into an abandoned basement and handcuffed. Duct tape was placed over her eyes and mouth.
Garcia was ultimately sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison and was paroled in 2016.
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