Joseph Christopher Garcia was born on November 6, 1971, in San Antonio, Texas. . His early life and education have not been widely documented, but by the mid-1990s, Garcia had developed a criminal record. In 1996, at the age of 24, he was convicted of murder after a drunken altercation led to him fatally stabbing a man named Miguel Luna. Garcia claimed the incident had not been premeditated, but a jury found otherwise, and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

While incarcerated at the John B. Connally Unit, a maximum-security prison near Kenedy, Texas, Garcia came into contact with other high-profile and violent offenders. Over time, he became involved in an elaborate escape plan led by fellow inmate George Rivas. On December 13, 2000, Garcia and six other inmates escaped from prison.

Joseph Christopher Garcia was one of the members of the Texas Seven, a group of seven prisoners who escaped from the John B. Connally Unit in Texas on December 13, 2000. After their escape, the group went on a crime spree that included several robberies. They robbed a Radio Shack in Pearland, Texas, the day after their escape.

On December 24, 2000, the Texas Seven entered an Oshman's Sporting Goods store in Irving, Texas. They bound and gagged the employees and stole numerous firearms and a large amount of cash from the store's safe. During their escape from the scene, they ambushed police officer Aubrey Hawkins. Hawkins had responded to a call regarding the robbery. He was shot multiple times and ultimately died from his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Following the robbery and murder, a significant manhunt ensued. The surviving members, including Garcia, were captured after tips from the public led police to their location in Colorado. They were taken into custody between January 22 and January 24, 2001.

Garcia was convicted for his involvement in the crimes and was sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection on December 4, 2018, in Huntsville, Texas.