Kristina Withrow is a killer from New Mexico who would hand her son, Kristian Crespin, a gun and ordered him to shoot a homeless woman Monique Garcia
According to court documents Kristina Withrow and Monique Garcia were involved in an argument in the alleyway near Withrow home. Garcia who was homeless at the time would refuse to leave and that is when Withrow would hand her son Kristian Crespin a gun and ordered him to shoot the woman.
Kristian Crespin would fire three times with one of the shots proving to be fatal
Kristian Crespin would ultimately be arrested and would confess to the murder of Monique Garcia and the role his mother played
Kristian Crespin would plead guilty and would be sentenced to eighteen years in prison
Kristina Withrow would be convicted of second degree murder and will be sentenced at a later date
Kristina Withrow Case
Kristina Withrow was convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the death of 36-year-old Monique Garcia
A New Mexico woman who handed her son a gun and allegedly instructed him to shoot in the direction of a homeless woman has been convicted of murder.
A jury in Bernalillo County convicted Kristina Withrow, 45, of second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, aggravated assault with a firearm enhancement and tampering with evidence on April 24.
Withrow was charged following the death of Monique Garcia, whom her son Kristian Crespin confessed to fatally shooting last year. Crespin pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
In September, a jury sentenced Crespin to 18 years in prison.
Withrow’s convictions all stem from an incident that occurred on April 3, 2023.
Withrow said she saw Garcia and asked the woman to leave the walkway near her apartment because the woman was homeless, according to a news release from the Albuquerque Police Department.
When the woman refused, an argument allegedly broke out between the two women, said police.
Withrow told police that when Garcia began to approach her, she pulled out her handgun and then handed it to her then-18-year-old son.
Crespin then fired three shots at Garcia according to the APD release, one of which proved to be fatal.
The APD said that Garcia, 36, was pronounced dead later that day after being rushed to a local hospital.
Withrow then tried to claim she had shot Garcia, but the APD said that multiple eyewitnesses soon informed the responding officers that a male had been seen firing the gun and then fleeing the scene.
“Initially, Withrow told police she was the one who opened fire, but later admitted that she ordered her son to shoot,” Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said in a statement.
Jurors did have the option of convicting Withrow on the charge of first-degree murder but ultimately declined to do so and instead convicted her on the second-degree charge.
The jury deliberated for a little over three hours following the four-day trial.
Sentencing for Withrow will take place at a later date that has yet to be determined. Her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
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Kristina Withdrow News
A New Mexico woman and mother, 45-year-old Kristina Withrow, was convicted in connection with the 2023 shooting of Monique Garcia. Back in April 2023, Withrow handed her son, Kristian Crespin, a handgun, which was then used to kill Garcia following a confrontation between the two women.
According to an Albuquerque Police Department news release, the incident took place on April 3, 2023. Reportedly, Withrow confronted Garcia, whom she presumed was homeless, and asked her to leave her apartment’s walkway. Garcia reportedly refused, which triggered a verbal argument between the two women. At one point, Garcia began walking toward Withrow, further escalating the confrontation.
At that time, Kristina Withrow retrieved her handgun and gave it to Crespin, her then-18-year-old son. Withrow told Crespin to shoot the woman, and, as per the news release, he fired three shots, striking Garcia. Withrow told police at the time that she didn’t know whether Garcia was armed or not.
Initially, Kristina Withrow told police that she had shot the apparent homeless woman. However, she later admitted to handing over the gun to her son. Reportedly, several witnesses in the area also saw Crespin firing the gun, which further prompted Withrow’s admission.
Monique Garcia, 36, was rushed to a local hospital but later succumbed to her injuries the very same day. Kristian Crespin was charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and tampering with evidence. Kristina Withrow was charged with an open count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and tampering with evidence
In September 2024, a jury sentenced Kristian Crespin to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, as per PEOPLE.
Months later, on April 24, 2025, more than two years after the incident, Kristina Withrow was convicted by a Bernalillo County jury. As per PEOPLE, while the jurors had the option of convicting Withrow of first-degree murder, they ended up convicting her of second-degree murder. She was also convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm enhancement and tampering with evidence. The jury only deliberated for about three hours following a four-day trial.
