Concord Man Receives Life Sentence for 2019 Petaluma Outlets Murder

Defendant David Kyle Lubkin, 30 years old of Concord, CA was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for the 2019 murder of Ezequiel Garcia. The defendant was found guilty after trial by a Sonoma County jury of First Degree Murder and Discharging a Firearm at a Motor Vehicle Causing Death on May 30, 2023. These convictions stem from the September 28, 2019, shooting death of 19-year-old Ezequiel Garcia of Santa Rosa at the Petaluma Outlets.

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, “Mr. Lubkin's well-planned murder has caused immeasurable harm to Mr. Garcia's family. I hope that this entirely appropriate sentence helps them in some small way to move forward in their lives.”

On the day of the murder, Defendant Lubkin met with the victim under the guise of purchasing a necklace off Craigslist. When the victim arrived, Lubkin confronted him over a prior deal and pulled a ghost gun from his waistband. As the victim fled in his car, Defendant Lubkin fired three shots. Mr. Garcia was mortally struck by one of the shots and died from his injuries soon thereafter. Initially two eyewitnesses came forward and provided statements about what they had seen. With this limited information, Petaluma Police launched into weeks of investigation which ultimately led to the arrest of the defendant.

During the Sentencing Hearing, Judge Laura Passaglia described the shooting as the “ultimate act of violence” and “as senseless a murder as they come.” Judge Passaglia imposed the maximum punishment allowable by law, finding no reason to limit the punishment given the absence of any remorse shown by the defendant. Judge Passaglia admonished the defendant for committing “a callous shooting to death of an unarmed man fleeing … because it insulted your ego.” Defendant Lubkin had the opportunity to make a statement expressing remorse or explaining his actions during today’s court hearing, but he said nothing.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Matthew Henning and Deputy District Attorney Brian Morimune with the assistance of District Attorney Investigator Alexis Bartley. Sgt. Walt Spiller of the Petaluma Police Department headed the investigation.