Expert links Juarez to gang

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A gang expert from the Santa Barbara Police Department said in a court hearing yesterday that pictures of Ricardo “Ricky” Juarez obtained from several MySpace accounts indicate the boy is likely a member or an associate of an Eastside gang.
One of the pictures shown to Detective Mark Vierra yesterday showed Juarez dressed in a baggy white shirt printed with the phrase “Eastside Original.” In the picture a black or blue colored bandana hangs from Juarez’s right pocket, and his gloved hands are shown forming an E and and S, which stand for Eastside.


“The person wearing this shirt is announcing who they represent,” Vierra said of Juarez’s picture. “Based on my experience, at the minimum, I would call Mr. Juarez and Eastside associate.”
The point of Vierra’s testimony was to establish that the murder of 15-year-old Luis Angel Linares during a March 14 downtown gang brawl was gang related.
Juarez has been charged with murdering Linares and has pleaded innocent to that charge.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Hilary Dozer, the prosecutor in the case, has said establishing Juarez’s connection with the Eastside Traviesos gang will verify the legitimacy of a gang enhancement to the murder charge, which he is seeking.
“I think we established the gang relationship of the murder,” Dozer said. “It’s very clear that he [Juarez] had an affiliation with the Eastside gang.”
Vierra, who has worked as a gang specialist within the police department since 1998, discussed several aspects of gang activity, including the use and issuance of a moniker. He specifically focused on the moniker “lilThEfT,” which Juarez was called.
Vierra said the letters E and T are capitalized in the moniker to show emphasis for the words East and Traviesos. Dozer showed Vierra an e-mail written by an unidentified user of MySpace that meticulously capitalized every E and T, but used lowercase letters for every W.
“Often, actual [gang] members are given monikers or nicknames based on their involvement,” Vierra said.
He said a gang member, or associate can increase their level of involvement and climb up the level of hierarchy in the gang by committing crimes.
Vierra said much of gang culture is based on fear and intimidation, which is part of the reason at least two juvenile witnesses called to testify so far in the hearing have refused to reveal certain names. Both of those witnesses said they had received some kind of threat.
Vierra told Juarez’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Karen Atkins, that the Eastside Traviesos’ primary activity is to commit crimes and assaults in varying degrees.
Yesterday marked the eighth day of the preliminary hearing, which will determine whether or not a formal trial will be held.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Christie Stanley opted to try Juarez as an adult. Dozer has said the adult issue could greatly hinge on proving Juarez’s actions that day were gang related.
The hearing will resume this morning at 9. Atkins is expected to cross examine Detective Gary Siegel, who interviewed Juarez in the hours after the stabbing occurred. Last Monday, Siegel said Juarez, during the interview, admitted to wielding a knife during the and swinging it at people.
It was originally agreed that the nearly two-hour interview tape would be shown in court, but Judge Brian Hill said yesterday that it would take too much of the court’s time. Instead, the attorney’s and Hill said they would review the tape last night. Atkins is expected to comb over Juarez’s interview with Siegel.
“This is a crucial piece of evidence,” Atkins told Hill of the tape. “I believe it should be played as part of the evidence. I think [he] Juarez is entitled to see the evidence against him.”
But Hill didn’t agree.
“He [Juarez] was there. He doesn’t need to see it again.”