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Murder of Cynthia Garcia

SOLVED2001Mesa, Arizona (body found near Usury Pass Road, Apache Junction area)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Cynthia Yvonne Garcia was a 44-year-old mother of six living with her parents in Mesa, Arizona, due to poverty. Described by her daughters as loving and funny, she struggled with alcohol abuse. On the night of October 25, 2001, members of the Hells Angels Mesa chapter, including Michael Kramer, Kevin Augustiniak, and Paul Merle Eischeid, were drinking at their clubhouse after a bar outing. A club prospect, sent out to find women, brought back Garcia after failing to locate another woman the group had wanted.

According to Kramer's later account, Garcia was beaten at the clubhouse, forced into the trunk of a car, and driven to a remote desert area near Usury Pass Road, where she was stabbed to death. Her body was left in a shallow grave. The men burned their clothing, cleaned Kramer's car, and disposed of the weapons.

Garcia's daughter Bianca reported her missing after the weekend, and her decomposing body was found in the shallow grave on Halloween 2001. The Maricopa County coroner documented that Garcia had been stabbed repeatedly. The case initially went unsolved.

Kramer later approached Mesa police sergeant Charles Schoville about turning informant, and his handling was transferred to ATF agent John Ciccone as part of a broader operation targeting Hells Angels criminal activity. Kramer eventually wore recording devices that captured Eischeid and Augustiniak discussing details of the killing. In February 2003, Kramer signed a confession admitting his own role. On November 10, 2003, he pleaded guilty to Garcia's murder and was sentenced to five years' probation with no prison time. Augustiniak and Eischeid were later indicted on kidnapping, first-degree murder, and racketeering charges as part of a large 2003 ATF raid on Hells Angels chapters.

Eischeid fled the United States in 2004 after breaking an electronic monitoring bracelet and was not arrested again until 2011, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He contested extradition for years before being returned to the U.S. in July 2018. Augustiniak pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October 2011 and was sentenced in March 2012 to 23 years in prison, with credit for time served. Eischeid was sentenced in August 2021 to 19 years for second-degree murder.

Key facts

Victims
Cynthia Garcia
Date
2001
Location
Mesa, Arizona (body found near Usury Pass Road, Apache Junction area)
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2001-10-25

    Cynthia Garcia is beaten and abducted from the Hells Angels Mesa clubhouse, then killed in the desert near Usury Pass Road.

  2. 2001-10-31

    Garcia's body is discovered in a shallow grave.

  3. 2001-11-26

    Michael Kramer is signed as an ATF informant (CI-78400-376).

  4. 2003-02

    Kramer signs a confession admitting his role in Garcia's murder.

  5. 2003-11-10

    Kramer pleads guilty to Garcia's murder and is sentenced to five years' probation.

  6. 2003-12-03

    ATF raids arrest 51 Hells Angels members across multiple states; Eischeid is arrested and later makes bail.

  7. 2004-07-29

    Eischeid breaks his electronic ankle monitor and flees the United States.

  8. 2011-02-05

    Eischeid is arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  9. 2011-10

    Augustiniak pleads guilty to second-degree murder.

  10. 2012-03-30

    Augustiniak is sentenced to 23 years in prison.

  11. 2018-07-18

    Eischeid is extradited from Argentina to the United States.

  12. 2021-08

    Eischeid is sentenced to 19 years in prison for second-degree murder.

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People

  • Cynthia Garcia

    VICTIM

    44-year-old woman killed by Hells Angels members in October 2001.

  • Kevin Augustiniak

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October 2011; sentenced March 30, 2012 to 23 years in prison.

  • Michael Kramer

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty on November 10, 2003 to Garcia's murder; sentenced to five years' probation after cooperating as an ATF informant.

  • Paul Merle Eischeid

    CONVICTED

    Fled the U.S. in 2004, extradited from Argentina in 2018; sentenced in August 2021 to 19 years for second-degree murder.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Mesa, Arizona (body found near Usury Pass Road, Apache Junction area)

33.4152, -111.8315

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Cynthia Garcia, a 44-year-old Mesa woman, was beaten, stabbed, and killed by members of the Hells Angels Mesa chapter in October 2001 after an altercation at their clubhouse. The case was solved years later through an ATF informant and undercover operation, leading to the convictions of all three men involved.
Where did the murder happen?
Mesa, Arizona (body found near Usury Pass Road, Apache Junction area).
Who was convicted?
Kevin Augustiniak (Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October 2011; sentenced March 30, 2012 to 23 years in prison.), Michael Kramer (Pleaded guilty on November 10, 2003 to Garcia's murder; sentenced to five years' probation after cooperating as an ATF informant.), and Paul Merle Eischeid (Fled the U.S. in 2004, extradited from Argentina in 2018; sentenced in August 2021 to 19 years for second-degree murder.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Arizona

Sources

  1. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — NBC NewsNBC News · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSStockbroker by day, alleged violent Hells Angel by night: 15 years after his arrest, fugitive biker back for murder caseThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Cynthia GarciaWikipedia · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026