Five felony charges were recently dismissed and one added for a man initially accused of soliciting murder in connection with a family inheritance.
Max Garza, 49, had been charged with five counts of solicitation to commit murder; those charges were dismissed late last month and prosecutors added one count of attempted possession of a firearm or distribution of ammunition by person convicted of felony. Garza subsequently pleaded no contest to the crime.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also offer some protection in civil liability cases.
Soon after charges were filed last year, Troy police said Garza wanted some family members dead so he could get a larger inheritance from an estate and because he was “generally upset with his targeted family.”
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The case unfolded when it was reported that Garza was making plans to kill family members and was trying to obtain a firearm to kill them himself as a second option, police said.
Recorded conversations of Garza discussing his plans to solicit or commit murder and details on how to carry it out were reportedly provided to police.
Garza entered his plea before Judge Michael Warren of Oakland County Circuit Court. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on July 3.
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