Idaho man arrested after allegedly kidnapping man from Walmart and demanding ransom before murdering him

An Idaho suspect is accused of helping to kidnap a man from Walmart and killing him, police said.

On Nov. 5, the family of Luis Garcia told officers two men they didn’t know kidnapped the 22-year-old. The following morning, Garcia was found unconscious and lying in the driveway of a Caldwell home.

Garcia, who suffered blunt force trauma to the head as well as cuts on his leg and abdomen, was rushed to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where he later died, KTVB reported.

In court documents obtained by the station, Tomas Pina Sarmiento, 25, is accused of helping to abduct Garcia from a Walmart and then blindfolding him and tying him up.

A probable cause affidavit states the victim was taken to a Nampa residence. There, witnesses claimed, three men beat Garcia with a golf club.

Detective said that during the incident, Garcia called a relative to say he needed money because he was “in trouble.” An unknown male then got on the line, according to detectives, and said “they needed $2,000 and that if he did not give them the $2,000, something bad would happen” — but never provided instructions on how to proceed.

Authorities have not released a possible motive for Garcia’s murder. More arrests may be possible in the case, Nampa Police Lt. Jason Kimball told KTVB.

Sarmiento is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and destruction of evidence. He is being held on a $1 million bond and faces up to life behind bars or the death penalty.