Attempted Aggravated Murder and Aggravated Child Abuse Charges filed

Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced a first-degree felony Attempted Aggravated Murder charge, as well as four other felonies, filed against Petrice Shirley Mary Garcia.
 
On May 3, 2025, West Valley City Police responded to a report of child abuse where D.A., a neighbor of the defendant, reported that a 7-year-old boy, E.G., had blood all over his face and shirt. D.A. told police that the defendant at one point had come out of her house and stated, "Call the cops, I tried killing my son." J.H. told police that he saw E.G. running down the street asking for help, and then saw the defendant running down the street looking for E.G. before she jumped a fence. J.H. told police he then saw the defendant running down the street fully nude, and when the defendant saw J.H. near his garage, she assaulted him. J.H. said he tackled the defendant and held her to the ground until police arrived. E.G. told police that his mother had hit him over the head with a statue and tried to drown and strangle him. When the defendant allegedly stopped attacking E.G. for a short time, E.G. told police that he ran to his grandmother's bedroom and hid under the bed. When E.G. tried to run out the front door to escape the defendant, she was guarding it, so E.G. escaped through the back of the house. When police entered the defendant’s home they found a bathtub full of water, where the defendant allegedly attempted to drown E.G., in the water was a broken statue weighing 3-5 pounds. The defendant and E.G. were taken eventually to separate hospitals. While at the hospital, the defendant allegedly hit a nurse and pulled her hair. When a police officer tried to restrain the defendant, she touched the pistol grip of his gun, and while trying to grab the gun, the defendant said, "You're going to have to kill me."
 
Medical records show E.G. suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), multiple scalp lacerations that required closure with 15 staples, and a forehead laceration that required four sutures.
 
The defendant is charged with one count of first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder, one count of first-degree felony disarming a police officer, three counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse, and one count of class A misdemeanor criminal trespass.
 
"The allegations in this case are disturbing, but the way the child's neighbors stepped in to help demonstrates the strength of our community to come together in a crisis. If you are struggling as a parent, please reach out for support. Asking for help is a sign of strength," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "We thank detectives at the West Valley City Police Department who conducted a thorough investigation and collected the necessary evidence that led to the filing of these charges. All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law."