Lawrenceville man Antonio Cardenas-Rico Charged in Double-Homicide

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Police in Gwinnett County arrested a man Thursday in connection with a double-homicide in Lawrenceville.

Gwinnett County Police say they arrested Antonio Cardenas-Rico, 28. Cardenas-Rico is charged with two counts of murder.

Police say they responded to a 911 call Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. to a home on Bridle Path Drive. When units arrived at the scene, they discovered a male, identified as Elvis Garcia, 23, outside the home with multiple stab wounds.

At some point, the wounded father ran next door to a neighbor's house for help, say police.

"They were lying in blood. The two of them, they were probably two feet apart. His back was tued and I said, 'the one on the left, he's still alive'. His right arm moved and he moaned," said neighbor Lawon Thomas.

Police say Garcia was the person who made the 911 call.

Investigators say the bodies of two children, Edward Garcia, 1, and Bradley Garcia , 3, were discovered in the basement of the home. Police say both children were stabbed.

Another 3-year-old child was also stabbed and in critical condition when the child was transported to Gwinnett County Fairgrounds and then life-flighted to a children's hospital in Atlanta.

The injured man -- who is also the father of the children -- was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, say police.

Police say the mother and another sibling were not at home at the time of the stabbings. They were located and have been cooperating with investigators.

In the last couple of weeks police say Garcia has come to them claiming his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend had threatened to kill him. The conflict stemmed over the children.

Police say Cardenas-Rico asked for a public defender and listed his address as Las Vegas. But sheriff's deputies believe he shouldn't be in the country at all.

"We have placed a detainer on him for ICE. It appears that he had entered the country illegally," said Stacey Bourbonnais of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

Cardenas-Rico is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail. His next scheduled court appearance is set for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.