A Montgomery County judge sentenced Francisco Lara-Garcia to life in prison, suspending all but 40 years, for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, 20-year-old Keylin Chavez Dominguez, whose remains were found in January 2023 after he had falsely reported her missing.
Lara-Garcia pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, and investigators determined she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma before her body was discarded off an ICC bridge.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “On March 19, 2025, Lara-Garcia pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of Chavez Dominguez. He had reported her missing to police on January 2, 2023. Lara-Garcia told detectives he had nothing to do with her disappearance. On January 28, 2023, a man walking his dog on a path that runs underneath MD Rte. 200, the Intercounty Connector, between New Hampshire Avenue and Rte. 29, discovered the remains of Chavez Dominguez concealed by two plastic trash bags. An autopsy confirmed the victim’s manner of death was homicide caused by strangulation and blunt force trauma. There were also postmortem injuries to the body consistent with the victim already being dead when the defendant threw her body off an ICC bridge.
The defendant and victim had dated and lived together in an apartment complex in Rockville. The victim had family members living in the same complex. After their romantic relationship ended, Chavez Dominguez continued living with the defendant because he depended on her and her family. The victim and defendant’s roommate noted that the defendant barely worked; the victim primarily paid the rent. He also noticed that the defendant grew increasingly jealous of the victim’s new boyfriend. He remembered an argument between them on December 29, 2022, the night before she went missing. During that argument, the victim found an old photo of her and the defendant that the defendant had put sewing needles into. The defendant later admitted he did that because he was upset and angry at the victim. The argument on December 29, 2022, was the last time the roommate saw the victim.
Montgomery County Police detectives notified the defendant of the victim’s death on January 28, 2023. Shortly after, the defendant left the state. On February 1, 2023, Lara-Garcia was arrested by United States Marshals in Saint Louis, Missouri.
“We thank Montgomery County Police and the United States Marshals Service for their assistance in providing justice for the victim’s family. This defendant lied to police and Chavez Dominguez’s loved ones for nearly a month while they desperately kept hope alive that she may have been found unharmed,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.”
