A Valparaiso man who had been declared incompetent to stand trial for the murder of his mother’s finance has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter.

On Friday, Edward Ibarra, 24, was sentenced to 50 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, 10 of those years suspended and to be served on formal probation.

Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa gave Ibarra credit for time served. Under Indiana Code, Ibarra will be eligible for release after serving half his sentence, or 20 years.

Alexa also found in his sentencing order that the cost for Ibarra’s incarceration will total $984,770.

Ibarra was originally charged with murder, after Valparaiso Police said that, on the night of Oct. 30, 2009, he fire multiple shots at Juan Garcia, 33, identified as Ibarra’s mother’s fiancé, at his residence in the 300 block of Morgan Blvd. Garcia died three hours later at Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus with wounds to his heart, liver, and lungs.

Ibarra’s mother advised investigators that her son and Garcia had been in a dispute earlier in the day, after Garcia complained that Ibarra didn’t do enough around the house to help his mother.

Ibarra was taken into custody early on the morning of Oct. 31 walking in the area of Washington Street and Indiana Ave. Ibarra admitted shooting Garcia, then leaving the house on foot, disassembling the gun, and throwing pieces of it away, police said. Parts of the gun were recovered.

Ibarra was formally charged with murder on Nov. 3, 2009, but Alexa subsequently declared Ibarra incompetent to stand trial and involuntarily committed him to the care of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction until such time as he was competent.

Murder is punishable by a term of 30 to 60 years; involuntary manslaughter, a Class A felony punishable by a term of 20 to 50 years.

Posted 11/20/2012