Crime scene tattoo leads to conviction

LOS ANGELES, April 22 (UPI) -- A detailed tattoo showing a 2004 robbery and homicide scene resulted in a first-degree murder conviction for a Los Angeles gang member, police said.

Anthony Garcia, 25, was found guilty this week of the murder of a 23-year-old liquor store clerk during a robbery in 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported.

His arrest and conviction were the culmination of a series of lucky breaks for homicide investigator Kevin Lloyd, who was one of the officers who investigated the robbery seven years ago, the report said.

In 2008, Lloyd was perusing a catalog of tattoos police routinely photograph on suspects and spotted one that depicted the crime scene in intricate detail. He opened the cold case file and undercover officers were placed in jail alongside Garcia, who was serving time for an unrelated offense.

In secretly recorded conversations, Garcia bragged about the holdup and shooting and showed off the tattoo, which he had several times updated with more detail, the report said.

Capt. Mike Parker told the Times solving the case was partly luck on Lloyd's part by recognizing the tattoo and bad luck on Garcia's part.

"Think about it -- he tattooed his confession on his chest," Parker said. "You have a degree of fate with this."