Defendant in Taxi Murder Case Denied Bond: Report

DEKALB COUNTY, GA — A 23-year-old man charged with the murder of a taxi driver in Chamblee will remain behind bars, after a judge denied his bond request in a hearing Friday, according to a media report.

David Rey Garcia-Mendoza is accused of killing Luz Mariana Matheu, 43, in her vehicle on the night of Oct. 1. Chamblee police have charged him with multiple felonies, including armed robbery, murder and kidnapping, in the death of Luz Mariana Matheu.

The incident happened at around 9:30 p.m., when Chamblee police responded to a call at 2570 Woodacres Road. They found Matheu slumped over the steering wheel of a blue OK taxi that crashed into a fence. Matheu, who had been shot in the head, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chamblee police set up a perimeter in the area and apprehended Garcia-Mendoza.

Judge Shondeana Morris denied him bond after testimony in court Friday by DeKalb County prosecutor Rod Wilkerson, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Wilkerson told Morris that Garcia-Mendoza told him that he shot the taxi driver when she threatened to call the police after he refused to pay the fare, AJC.com reported. That admission amounted to a confession to the murder, he said.

Garcia-Mendoza, a native of Mexico, also is being held for immigration officials, AJC.com reported.