Amber Jo Thomas had described years of abuse before Barry Lee Garza killed her outside Linden Square Assisted Living.
SALINE, Mich. — One week after Amber Jo Thomas obtained a personal protection order against Barry Lee Garza, he shot her outside her Saline workplace in an attack that ended with a 30- to 60-year prison sentence.
The order is central to the story now because it shows Thomas had turned to court before the shooting. She told the court she feared Garza after a long relationship marked by abuse and threats. The order was approved in late July 2023, but it had not yet been served when Thomas was attacked Aug. 3, 2023. Garza’s punishment, imposed by Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Carol Kuhnke, follows a no-contest plea to second-degree murder and assault with intent to murder.
Thomas, 40, worked at Linden Square Assisted Living and was on a break when the shooting happened. Police said Garza waited in a nearby parking lot across from the facility and opened fire when Thomas was outside with Richard Edwards. Thomas was hit in the neck and later died at a hospital. Edwards also was shot and survived. The attack drew police to the 600 block of Woodland Drive around 11:35 a.m., where officers found the wounded victims and locked down the scene. At a later court hearing, a prosecutor said Garza’s actions and words showed he knew what he had done.
The personal protection order filing described the fear that came before the gunfire. Thomas wrote that she and Garza had been together for about nine years and that she had been subjected to years of physical and verbal abuse. She said police had been called several times during the relationship. She also said Garza took her phone the day before she sought the order. In the filing, Thomas said she was scared because he had threatened more than once to kill her. That court paper was approved July 28, 2023, six days before the shooting outside the assisted living center.
After the shooting, Garza left in a tan Ford Focus, police said. The flight ended near South Ann Arbor Street and Willis Road after the vehicle crashed. Authorities said Garza did not follow commands at the crash scene and was subdued with a Taser. Early reports from the case said police believed he tried to flee on foot before he was stopped and arrested by a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy. The second wounded victim added an assault with intent to murder charge to the homicide case. Prosecutors later said Garza’s comments at the scene showed no remorse and supported their argument that he should remain jailed without bond.
The first court step came at Garza’s arraignment, where he was charged with open murder, assault with intent to murder and felony firearm. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. Magistrate Tamara Garwood denied bond after prosecutors described the protection order, the workplace shooting, the crash and the statements police said Garza made after he was caught. The case later moved through Washtenaw County court, where Garza eventually entered a no-contest plea in February. A no-contest plea is not an admission in the same words as a guilty plea, but it allows the court to sentence a defendant as convicted.
The sentencing hearing gave Thomas’ family and friends the chance to explain the loss beyond the court file. Her mother brought photographs of her daughter and addressed Garza directly. One friend and co-worker, Jessica Richardson, told the court, “Despite everything she did to protect herself, this defendant found her.” Relatives asked the judge to impose the maximum penalty available under the plea. They described Thomas as a daughter, sister, co-worker and caregiver whose life had been narrowed by fear before it was taken in a public place during the workday.
Kuhnke said from the bench that the evidence showed planning. She noted the distance Garza had to travel, the gun he brought and the fact that he waited at Thomas’ workplace. The judge sentenced him to 30 to 60 years in state prison and gave him credit for 995 days already served. The felony firearm count was dismissed as part of the plea agreement, but the remaining convictions carry a sentence that may keep Garza in prison for the rest of his life. The final judgment also means Edwards’ shooting was resolved in the same criminal case.
Thomas’ death also changed the mood around Linden Square. Co-workers and residents gathered days later for a vigil, where people spoke about her connection to the facility and the residents she helped. The company that manages the site said Thomas had put residents first and had been viewed as a mentor by many co-workers. Saline officials also spoke about the shock of a violent killing in a city where such cases are rare. Police Chief Marlene Radzik said the community needed hope as it tried to heal. Mayor Brian Marl said the case showed local leaders must be ready for violence even where it seems unlikely.
Barry Garza is now set to serve the sentence ordered in Washtenaw County, with prison intake and records updates to follow. Thomas’ protection order filing, the workplace attack, the police chase and the family statements remain the public record of how the case reached its end. No additional sentencing date is pending because the plea resolved the murder and assault charges.
Author note: Last updated May 20, 2026.