Bio

Tracy Leann Garrison was born in 1979. She grew up in the Hemet area of Southern California.

She began using alcohol and methamphetamine when she was about 12 years old. A probation officer later reported she injected heroin several times a week and smoked marijuana daily.

As a young adult she stayed off and on with a man named Joshua Wahlert in a recreational vehicle on property belonging to a friend, Jon Ramirez. Court records and witness statements say she and Wahlert argued often.

Friends said Garrison was romantically involved with both Wahlert and another man, Michael Willison. Witnesses also said the three used methamphetamine together and that Garrison talked about plans for the future with Wahlert, including giving a truck to him and going to Las Vegas to get married.

People who knew her described her as confused about who she wanted to be with. They said she sometimes left for days at a time to be with one of the men.

Murder Story

Tracy Leean Garrison, born in 1979, was convicted of the murder of 39-year-old Michael Willison. The killing occurred on January 14, 2001, in Riverside County, California. The case was classified as murder with kidnapping and robbery. The victim was shot.

According to witness testimony, Willison went to a friend’s home and was there when Joshua Wahlert and Tracy Garrison arrived. Wahlert displayed a gun. Garrison used duct tape on Willison’s hands and mouth while the others took his keys and other property. The three then went to a remote area.

At the remote location, Willison was beaten, stabbed, and shot. His body was found on January 23, 2001, by a jogger near rocks off Highway 74. Tire track impressions at the scene matched the tires on Willison’s truck. A piece of duct tape was found nearby.

Police later arrested Wahlert after a separate brandishing incident and impounded the truck. Items taken from Wahlert’s possession matched Willison’s property. Blue jeans with Willison’s blood, his checks, credit cards, and business cards were found in the truck. Wahlert made statements to police admitting he had killed Willison. Garrison made statements to friends and to investigators that implicated her role.

Wahlert and Garrison were tried before separate juries. Each jury convicted the defendant of murder with special circumstances for robbery and kidnapping. The California Court of Appeal later described the evidence against them as overwhelming. Both defendants were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, and Garrison received a one-year enhancement for participating in a crime with an armed accomplice.