Man who beat housemate to death, kicking him up to 50 times while he was passed out on the floor – Ex-con Ricky Garcia told cops, ‘I dropped the hammer on [victim],’ after he kicked me
Ex-con allegedly beat one of his 11 housemates to death, kicking him up to 50 times while he was passed out on the floor
Ricky Garcia, 55, is facing manslaughter charges after he told police he kicked Christopher Peckham “no more than two times,” inside a bedroom, at their shared residence on Sunday
Garcia, 49-year-old Peckham and 10 other roommates shared the residence in Milford, Connecticut where the killing occurred
“I stomped him,” police quoted Garcia telling them during an interview. “He was kicking at me and I dropped the hammer on him”
The victim died from blunt trauma to the upper torso. Peckham had several significant injuries, including broken ribs, a fractured sternum, a lacerated liver and fractured vertebrae
The coroner ruled Peckham’s death a homicide
Garcia was ordered held on $250,000 bond after being arraigned Tuesday on a first-degree manslaughter charge

Ricky Garcia called police in Milford late Sunday to report finding one of his 11 roommates dead at the residence, but he has been cahrged with manslaughter in the man’s death. Garcia said he kicked Christopher Peckham. “no more than two times” earlier Sunday inside a bedroom in the home
Ricky Garcia, an ex-convict who police said was feared by many of his roommates, was arraigned on manslaughter charges Tuesday afternoon in Milford.
Garcia was arrested after 49-year-old Christopher Peckham, also of Milford was discovered dead outside of a home that he and approximately a dozen other people shared.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of Peckham’s death to be blunt force trauma to his upper torso, including broken ribs, a broken sternum and fractured vertebrae.
These injuries as a result of an altercation that apparently happened Sunday afternoon inside of the home at 583 Anderson Avenue.
Garcia in his police interview, blamed the victim saying “I stomped him,” Garcia told responding officers. “He was kicking at me and I dropped the hammer on him,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Connecticut Post.
But police said Peckham was passed out on his sister’s bedroom floor.
She asked Garcia to get him out, and Garcia kicked and slapped him, presumably to wake him up, the warrant said.
Peckham was unresponsive, Garcia claimed, describing him to investigators as “dead weight,” police said.
But Peckham’s sister told police Garcia actually kicked her brother up to 50 times, including repeatedly in the stomach.
The pair had been “constantly fighting over things that she really couldn’t specify,” Peckham’s sister told cops.
Milford police remove Christopher Peckham’s body on Sunday from the home where other residents had dumped him outside to die after he received a severe beating from Ricky Garcia
That resident told police he helped Garcia drag Peckham out of the home before going back inside to sleep. The man later saw Peckham outside, but assumed he was dead after touching his leg and getting no response, according to the warrant.
A coroner later ruled Peckham’s death a homicide after an autopsy found that he died from blunt trauma to the upper torso. Peckham had several significant injuries, including broken ribs, a fractured sternum, a lacerated liver and fractured vertebrae, according to the warrant.
Garcia was ordered held on $250,000 bond after being arraigned Tuesday on a first-degree manslaughter charge.
Records show that he has a long criminal history dating back to 1992, including convictions for assault and operating under the influence.
Ex-con lied: Milford police spokesman said Garcia started changing his story about the confrontation with Peckham once he was interviewed by detectives
“He admitted some involvement and then, as we interviewed more and more people, we were able to determine that he was a lot more involved and he was a lot more violent and physical,” Officer Michael DeVito told WTIC. “By the end of the night, he admitted to that maybe he was a little bit more violent and that maybe he hit him more than just a few times.”Some other residents at the home told police they reluctantly helped Garcia drag Peckham outside because they were afraid of Garcia, DeVito told the station.
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