Share this article:

A 49-year-old estranged husband was charged Monday with killing his wife in an Anaheim park as she was waiting to pick up their daughter.

Several children and adults reportedly watched in horror as the woman was shot through the open passenger-side door as she sat behind the steering wheel. The alleged killer left the park as the couple’s daughter ran towards the scene.

Humberto Servin of Anaheim is charged with murder with a sentence- enhancing allegation of shooting a gun causing death. He could face up to 50 years to life in prison if convicted at trial.

Claudia Espino Garcia, 42, of Tustin was shot to death last Thursday afternoon at Peralta Canyon Park, 115 N. Pinney Drive. Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said officers responding to a report of gunfire at the park found the victim slumped over in the driver’s seat of her vehicle.

Garcia was taken to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Witnesses, including several children, gave officers a description of Servin and his vehicle, Wyatt said.

About 15 minutes later, officers located Servin’s 2002 gray Dodge Ram truck in the parking lot of the Anaheim Police Department’s East District substation at 8201 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road.

Servin, who drove to the substation to surrender, was taken into custody nearby, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The victim and Servin were married but estranged, Wyatt said. The two had not lived together since 2008, according to prosecutors.

Servin arranged Thursday to meet in the park with Garcia, according to prosecutors. Servin allegedly opened the passenger side door and shot the victim, but he left the area when the couple’s daughter ran toward the vehicle, according to prosecutors.

There were no reports of domestic disturbances when the couple lived in Anaheim, Wyatt said.

Police recovered a weapon in Servin’s vehicle, but investigators need to do forensic testing to determine if it was the weapon used in the shooting, Wyatt said.

The couple had three children who are now in the care of county social workers, Wyatt said.

On May 22, 2012, Garcia was ordered to pay $283 a month in child support for the couple’s two sons, who are now 17 and 14 years old, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Authorities have not released the age of the daughter.

—City News Service

Estranged husband charged in wife killing: Horrified witnesses included children in Anaheim park was last modified: by

>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!

Follow us: