Juan Martín García was born on 18 February 1980 in Harris County, Texas, to parents of Salvadoran descent. A U.S. citizen, García grew up in Houston, Texas, where he experienced a troubled childhood. He became affiliated with a street gang at a young age and accumulated a criminal record by his late teens.

On September 17, 1998, Juan Martín García attempted to rob Hugo Solano, a 36-year-old Christian missionary. The incident took place at an apartment complex in Harris County, Texas. García, joined by three other men, approached Solano and demanded his wallet. When Solano refused to comply, García shot him three times. After the shooting, they took only $8.

García was arrested shortly after the murder and charged with capital murder. He was tried in Harris County, convicted, and sentenced to death. On 21 June 2000, García arrived on Texas death row at the Polunsky Unit under inmate number TDCJ #999360.

During his time on death row, García continued to maintain that the killing was unplanned and occurred in panic, but his appeals failed. By 2015 he had exhausted all legal remedies.

On 6 October 2015, García was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit, Texas. Before the execution, he turned to Solano’s widow and daughter and issued an apology. He was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m. local time. García became the 11th Texas death row inmate executed in 2015.