Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder for 2002 Strangulation, Drowning of Livermore Woman

A Modesto man was convicted of second-degree murder today for the strangulation and drowning death of a 24-year-old woman in Livermore 12 years ago.
 
Bryan Vulgamore, 38, who was dressed in a gray suit, shook his head in apparent disagreement when an Alameda County Superior Court jury announced its verdict against him after deliberating for more than two days.
 
Vulgamore, also known as Bryan Davis, was convicted for the Jan. 8, 2002, death of 24-year-old Cecilia Garcia, who was found drowned in a running shower at her home in the 600 block of Mayten Drive with her nose smashed and what appeared to be strangulation marks on her neck.
 
Prosecutor Mark Melton said he believes Vulgamore first strangled Garcia and then pushed her face down into the shower in an attempt to remove DNA evidence. Melton said it's unclear if Garcia died from being strangled or from drowning in the shower.
 
He said if she was still alive after she was choked, she must have been unconscious because she drowned in only four inches of water, which indicates that she was incapacitated and wasn't able to get out of the shower.
 
Vulgamore's lawyer, Brian Hong, told jurors during the trial that there was "no physical evidence connecting Mr. Vulgamore to Cecilia Garcia's death."
 
A key witness in the case was Vulgamore's former friend Tony Gregorio, who Melton said initially gave Vulgamore an alibi but later retracted it and told police that Vulgamore admitted to him that he killed her.
 
However, Hong said Gregorio doesn't remember most of what he told police in 2002 since his memory is unreliable. Hong said that in 2002, Gregorio had been taking large quantities of methamphetamine daily for seven years and also used other drugs.
 
Vulgamore wasn't arrested in connection with Garcia's death until January 2010. Livermore police said cellphone records, witness statements and admissions by Vulgamore to police and other witnesses tied him to Garcia's death.
 
Garcia's many family members who attended the trial cried tears of joy when the verdict against Vulgamore was announced. But Vulgamore's mother reacted angrily, yelling, "It's just so unreal, it's just so wrong."
 
Vulgamore's mother said jurors "don't know" what really happened because Melton didn't tell them everything.
 
Judge Vernon Nakahara then ordered bailiffs to take Vulgamore's mother out of the courtroom and arrest her. Speaking on behalf of Garcia's family, Aaron Cortez, the husband of Garcia's cousin, Regina Cortez, said, "We've been praying that the jury would make the right choice. Hopefully we will get some closure out of this." But Cortez said, "It's been 12 years and even though we have justice now, nothing will bring back our loved one."
 
Among Garcia's family members who were present today was her daughter, who was 8 years old when Garcia was killed and is now 20. Melton said, "I'm really gratified for the family because they've been waiting for 12 years to see justice for Cecilia. It's been a long journey in this case."
 
Vulgamore faces 15 years to life in state prison when he is sentenced by Nakahara on Aug. 14.

—By Bay City News