Two men who were being held in the Erie County Holding Center are now charged with second degree murder in the death of a third inmate, Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane announced Thursday.
Investigators allege shortly before 11 a.m. on the morning of July 4, 2026, 49-year-old Chico Garcia of Buffalo and 21-year-old Skyler Gill of Lancaster followed the victim, 27-year-old Antonio Pizarro of Buffalo, into a cell where the victim was accosted and strangled.
Keane says the evidence points to Garcia strangling Pizarro while Gill held the victim’s legs.
“The proof is going to establish that they were in there for approximately four minutes,” he said. “Two other inmates witnessed the crime, and they are cooperating with this investigation.”
Sheriff John Garcia explained that after Pizarro failed to show up for lunch, a deputy went to his cell block for a welfare check and found the victim unresponsive. That happened around 11:11 a.m. First responders, including jail staff, Buffalo Fire Department members and AMR paramedics attempted to resuscitate Pizarro but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 11:54 a.m.
Chico Garcia was being held for a series of burglaries while Gill was in custody for various counts pending in Buffalo City Court, Keane explained.
Pizarro, meanwhile, was convicted in 2021 for a sex offense involving a child back in 2014. However, authorities have not established a possible motive for the killing.
“We do not have to prove motive,” Keane said. “There will be some evidence in terms of what took place before, including the day before, but we don't have to prove it. And I don't want to taint the jury pool at this time and get into it in any detail.”
Investigators were asked if there was any known confrontation within the Holding Center that led up to the killing.
“No, that's something we check, and that's something we check at all times. We're always ahead of it,” Sheriff Garcia said. “That's why it hurts so much for everybody involved because this this was a cold-blooded, calculated murder. Let's be clear about that. They planned this and they executed this murder. Mr. Pizarro was in our custody for four days.”
The New York State Attorney General’s Office was notified in short time after Pizarro’s death. By state law, that office is notified whenever there’s a death involving a law enforcer. However, Keane explained, it soon became clear no officer was involved, and so the District Attorney’s office was given permission to take the case.
“We concluded the grand jury investigation, reporting out this indictment,” Keane said. “I will also note that we recently received notification from the New York State Attorney General's office, that they have concluded their investigation and they have closed it, meaning that no other individuals are responsible for, criminally responsible for, or will be prosecuted for the death of Mr. Pizarro.”
The defendants remained held without bail after arraignment Thursday. If convicted, both could face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
