Florida detectives link known gang member to 2006 cold case murder: detectives

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Florida detectives linked a known gang member to a cold case murder dating back to 2006, after allegedly killing another inmate he killed the man, according to detectives.

On Tuesday, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Pedro Garcia, 40, for the murder of 37-year-old Guadalupe Vela in July 2006.

Manatee County, Florida detectives linked Pedro Garcia to a 2006 murder. (Manatee County)

Fox station WTVT reported that detectives issued a press release on the arrest which said Vela and Bradenton, rival gang members, were at a Santa Fe Bar when they began arguing.

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The two men took the argument outside before leaving in different directions. Vela, police said, went to a relative’s home in Bradenton, Florida. While there, he saw Garcia once again, and the two began arguing.

Police said that is when Garcia shot Vela twice in the back, just as he was trying to leave.

Detectives found Vela dead in the backyard of the home, along with bullet casings and a witness who would not cooperate.

FILE- Police caution tape at a crime scene. (iStock)

Deputies stopped Garcia for a traffic violation nearly three months later and found a 9mm pistol in his vehicle. Garcia was arrested for possessing a firearm as a felon.

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Testing was done on the gone by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, that ultimately linked the gun to the crime scene. But the rounds that Vela was shot with came from a different weapon, detectives found.

Detectives continued to investigate the fatal shooting, talking to different witnesses who said Garcia spoke about killing Vela. In 2015, Garcia admitted to another inmate at the Manatee County Jail, even providing details about what happened that night, according to detectives.

But detectives were not told about the conversation last summer. Another witness detectives interviewed in July 2021 said they witnessed Garcia shoot Vela.

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On Monday, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Garcia, who was located at a home on 30th Avenue West and taken into custody, WTVT said. He was out on bond for an unrelated case.

In June 2021, detectives said, another arrest warrant was issued for Garcia in connection to the 2014 murder of Samuel Conde.

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The detectives said it was possible Garcia was connected to other unsolved violent crimes dating back to the mid-2000s, and they ask anyone with information to call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or Manatee Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477.

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