Fla. fugitive captured in Conn. because of Facebook tattoo photos
MIAMI --United States Marshals say Facebook photos of a murder suspect's unique tattoo helped authorities track him down more than 1,300 miles away, and two years after, he allegedly killed an elderly man.
CBS Miami reports that Danei Washington Gordon, 21, was arrested after a deputy Marshal recognized the tattoo of a musical clef symbol on his right hand.
Gordon was wanted in the April 2013 murder of 73-year-old Neville Smith, who was beaten to death in his Miami home with a metal cooking pot. Miami detectives determined at the time that Gordon and his mother had been living in Smith's home after arriving in the U.S. illegally from Jamaica.
Police originally had difficulty tracking Gordon, but said they caught a break when he began using Facebook.
His posts helped authorities track him to Hartford, and photos of his tattoos uploaded to the social media site were distributed to authorities.
The Miami Herald reports that on the day of the incident, Smith confronted Gordon about alleged unruly behavior and drug use. He reportedly threatened to have him deported. Police say Gordon became angry and beat Smith to death.
In July, 2013 an arrest warrant was issued for Gordon, charging him with second degree murder with a deadly weapon. But he was nowhere to be found.
U.S. Marshal Service Senior Inspector and spokesman Barry Golden said investigators determined within the last week that Gordon was hiding in the Hartford area and began conducting surveillance on the north side of Hartford, which has a large Jamaican population.
"He was spotted riding a bicycle, someone resembling Gordon. So he (the deputy marshal) pulled up next to him and behold, Mr. Gordon had a special note tattoo on his right hand and the deputy marshal was looking for that," Golden said.
Gordon was taken to the Hartford Correctional Facility where is awaiting extradition to Miami.
Smith's daughter, Joi Crockett, told CBS Miami she's grateful to the investigators who searched for Gordon.
"Maybe now we'll be able to get answers to questions as to why all of this happened," Crockett said. "I loved my dad with all of my heart. I am always going to love my dad. I can't imagine what would make anyone do something like that to him."