Former Exotic Dancer, Porn Star Jordan Joplin Charged With Murder Of Surgeon

Jordan Joplin, a former exotic dancer and adult film star, has been charged with the murder of Dr. Eric Garcia, a surgeon from Ketchikan, Alaska.

Following the discovery of Garcia's body in March of last year, Joplin was initially only facing a first-degree theft charge after authorities accused of him of stealing over two tons of valuables from Garcia's home, to which he pleaded not guilty. This week, a Ketchikan grand jury agreed to charge the 32-year-old with first and second degree murder as well, KTUU reports.

What remains unclear is the nature of the relationship between Joplin and Garcia. The 32-year-old Washington resident told police that he and Garcia met three years ago and became close friends; also on record is Joplin's visit to the small Alaskan town of Ketchikan on March 16 — the last day that Garcia was seen alive, police say — in order to spend time with Garcia. Joplin told police that he left town the next day, and planned to meet up with Garcia again later that week at a medical conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. When Garcia didn't appear at the conference, Joplin called police, who performed a welfare check at Garcia's Alaskan home; when officers found the house locked and apparently vacant, they left without entering the residence.

A week later, Joplin called police again, and informed them that he would be able to let them into Garcia's home the following week. When the time came, Joplin pulled up to Garcia's home driving the surgeon's truck, and when police were finally able to enter Garcia's home, they found him dead on the second floor. Police believe that he'd been dead for 10 days already, and while there were reportedly no signs of foul play, they have yet to reveal how he died.

"A lot has happened in this case that is not public knowledge and probably will not be for a long time," Deputy Police Chief Josh Dossett told KTUU. "Or at least until you go to grand jury or even see trial."

Joplin was first charged with theft after police noticed that a variety of valuable items had gone missing from Garcia's home days before he was found dead, including a coin collection worth half a million dollars, as well as gold and expensive watches. After searching Garcia's truck — that was currently being driven by Joplin — they found receipts for a shipping company; Joplin had been captured on surveillance cameras driving Garcia's truck and loading more than 4,000 pounds of Garcia's belongings on to three containers that were then shipped to his home state of Washington, KTUU reports. Police say the items were shipped on March 17 — the day after the last day that Garcia was seen alive.

Following this discovery, Joplin was arrested and is currently being held at a Ketchikan jail. Joplin's defense attorney Deborah Macaulay says that the items found in the shipping containers "is strongly indicative that Dr. Garcia may have intended to actually relocate to Washington," citing as proof the toothbrushes, clothing, expired passports, and other personal effects of Garcia's that were found among the more valuable items.

"These are not the types of things someone typically steals from another person," Macaulay said.

Joplin is currently being held on a $200,000 bail, with his trial set to take place in November 2018, Pink News reports.

During his time as an adult film star, Joplin worked with pornography studio Sean Cody, among others, and he isn't the only alumni of the production company to be charged with murder; in 2015, 26-year-old David Enrique Meza — also known by his stage name of "Mario Romo" — stabbed his 51-year-old boyfriend Jake Clyde Merendino to death. Meza was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.