Accused Murderer’s Confession Shown in Court

Garren Musser, charged with homicide in the October 2008 stabbing death of Lisa Zazueta, calmly admitted to police immediately following the murder that he was the killer, and that he stabbed Zazueta because she wouldn’t leave him alone.

Musser told Detective Jim Ella, during an interview which was shown on October 19 at Musser’s preliminary hearing, that the two had an approximately month-long relationship. The purpose of the hearing, which continues on October 22, is for Judge Jean Dandona to determine whether or not there is enough evidence against Musser for him to stand trial. Police testified on day one of the prelim that they collected a bloody knife from Musser’s bedroom, and the door to his home had blood on it. Zazueta was killed on the street in front of the Musser property.

Prior to the murder, Zazueta had told Musser she was pregnant, he said, then recanted the statement. But he reportedly received an inadvertent text message not intended for him in which Zazueta said she was pregnant and wouldn’t have an abortion. One of the reasons Musser killed her, Det. Ella said Musser suggested, was so he could avoid paying child support.

In the taped interview, Musser told Det. Ella that Zazueta had called Musser and told him she was coming over. He told her not to. “I just had it in my mind I was going to kill her, bro, if she came over,” Musser told the detective. She did come over, he said, and after talking for 10 minutes or so, Musser grabbed her with one hand and sliced her neck with a knife in the other. “I’m a cold-blooded killer, man,” Musser said in the taped interview.