Tattoo helps ID gang member convicted of murder

NORWALK, Calif. – Authorities say an elaborate tattoo depicting the fatal shooting of a gang member in 2004 helped identify the Southern California gang rival who has been convicted in the murder.

Anthony Garcia was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle. He was accused of killing 23-year-old John Juarez at a liquor store in Pico Rivera on Jan. 23, 2004.

The case had turned cold until a Los Angeles County investigator spotted a photo of Garcia's tattoo and recognized the crime because he had been a station sergeant in Pico Rivera at the time.

The tattoo stretched from Garcia's neck to his chest and from arm to arm. It showed particulars of the crime scene, including Christmas lights on the store's roof and a bent street lamp.

Garcia faces 65 years to life when he is sentenced May 19.