We’ve all heard of cases where a suspect or a corpse was identified by his distinctive tattoo. And other criminals have been done in by maps and “To Do” lists recovered by the police. You know, the dude had a hand-drawn map to the victim’s home, maybe even a sketch of the interior, and a list that reminded him of everything he had to do to do the deed. Things like: gloves, mask, duct tape, gun, and, oh yeah, top off the gas tank in case a chase ensues.
One Anthony Garcia can top all of that. He supposedly belongs to the Rivera-13 gang in Pico Rivera, CA. He allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old John Juarez in a liquor store 4 years ago. He got away with it. Almost.
LA County Sheriff’s Department homicide investigator Kevin Lloyd was flipping through a collect of gang member tattoos when he stumbled on Garcia’s image. Imagine his shock when he saw that Garcia had a detailed tattoo of the crime scene splashed across his chest under the banner “Rivera Kills.”
It’ll be interesting to see how they use this is court but one thing I know for sure—if you put this in a book, no one would believe it.
The Crime Fiction Writer's Blog 
Ruby Johnson
April 22, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Most criminals are stupid and that example really shows it. Another example is recently in Dallas, a bank robber was asked for two forms of identification from the bank teller. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet to show the teller. He was arrested before he got out of the bank!
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Arletta Dawdy's Blog
April 22, 2011 at 4:20 pm
And what of the “tattoo artist” who created this monstrosity? YOW!
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Laura Mitchell
April 23, 2011 at 8:35 am
So let me get this straight: Mr. Garcia gets a tattoo on his chest that’s essentially a crime scene diagram. As an R-13, he is no stranger to law enforcement. Didn’t he think that sooner or later someone was going to notice? BTW, his tats look like prison tats.
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