He was my last hope, mother says of Lemkau

Wyatt Garcia loved to be fawned over by his older cousins and big brother. The 9- month-old cooed and giggled as the twin girls and his brother tickled the happy baby boy.

His cousins and older brother can no longer play with little Wyatt after he was killed by his father, Stephen Garcia.

“He was such a happy baby,” a tearful Katie Tagle, Wyatt’s mother said Wednesday. “Everyone loved him.”

Tagle was embroiled in a custody dispute with Garcia, 25, and had been denied a protective order by Judge Robert Lemkau with the Victorville Superior Court on Jan. 21.

“He was my last hope,” said Tagle, referring to Lemkau who did not act on Tagle’s claims and e-mails indicating that Garcia threatened to kill their baby boy. Ten days later, Garcia killed their son and himself.

“I really thought I had it. I thought he was going to see the evidence and give me (the restraining order.)”

Tagle’s family is now left with wonderful but short memories of the smiling child.

To read the full story, see Thursday's Daily Press. To subscribe to the Daily Press in print or online, call (760) 241-7755 or click here.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at (760) 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.

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