47-year old Dominican businessman and New York community leader Agustín García made headlines yesterday for murdering his former girl friend, 39 year old Gladys Ricart. There is speculation he committed the murder when suffering from a great pang of jealousy. Ricart was about to wed James Preston Jr. in Flushing, Queens. She was shot in her wedding dress. She had just finished taking wedding pictures with relatives. She was about to board a Rolls Royce limousine that would have taken her to the church where the groom awaited. The murder was even more shocking because García is a recognized Dominican community man. He was president of the Hispanic Federation of Chambers of Commerce, was the founder of the Dominican Chamber of Commerce. Those that knew him in his business life could hardly believe what he had done as few knew him as a violent person. News reports, nevertheless, say he apparently lived a double life. Relatives of the Ricart family said that despite the relationship being over, he continued to torment Gladys Ricart. The Bergen County district attorney said he will try García for murder in second degree and he would request the death penalty. García was retained at the site of the killing by relatives of the victim and other persons that were present. The killing took place in Ridgefield, New Jersey around 4 pm on Saturday, 25 September. Ricart had a 20-year old son. She had met the man she was about to marry in July of this year.
