Zachary Garcia and Zachery Garcia may have homonymous names, but, as you'd imagine, they're actually very different people. The former is a University of Florida student who works at a sandwich shop. The latter is a teenager accused of murder. Investigators in Polk Country, Florida, however, failed to pick up on the
subtle difference in spelling between the two names -- a mistake that came to light after a casual Google search.
Turns out, authorities in the region mistakenly circulated a driver's license photo of Zachary (with an 'a'), whom they clearly confused with the real suspect, Zachery (with an 'e'). The college student became aware of the mistake only after Googling his name, and discovering that (surprise!) he was wanted for murder. "I was just very shocked to find my picture and the article saying that I was convicted of a felony murder charge," he told Tampa Bay station WTSP. "And I was just very shocked and angry that someone put my name up there and said
I did something I didn't do."
The actual suspect, along with four other teenagers, allegedly broke into a house on September 23rd. One of the homeowners shot and killed one of the teens, but, because the death took place in the middle of a felony, all three kids (including Zachery) were charged with murder. Zachary the sandwich-maker, meanwhile, claims his everyday problems aren't nearly as dramatic. "Everybody makes mistakes," Garcia added. "I work at Publix and I might get somebody's sub (order) wrong. But for somebody to get (the photo of a suspect) wrong... it's not a sandwich, it's somebody's life you're playing with." Very true, but on the bright side, at least Garcia's not
wanted for murder. And that's certainly something we take for granted every day.
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HighTube
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Teen Arrested After Bragging About Arson on Security Cameras
A pregnant Los Angeles teen was arrested earlier after allegedly starting seven fires near her home. 19-year-old Amanda Gessner was caught after convenience store cameras caught her chanting, "The fire company is gonna be
mad at me!" She was certainly right about that!
Would-Be Voyeur Puts Spy Cam in Restroom, Leaves Video of Himself
An upstate New York man installed a camera in a unisex bathroom. The camera was discovered soon after installation, and police found he'd left a video of himself on the camera. Police are still looking for the man.
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If you're going to show off your sweet forklift driving skills to your buddies, it's probably best to just do it in person. 20-year-old Australian Matthew Garry Ward uploaded a video of safety-violating forklift tricks to YouTube, and was reported to authorities after a coworker passed the video along to the boss.
Laser Pointer Shenanigans
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Tags: confusion, crime, google, GoogleSearch, id, identity, MixUp, murder, police, students, teens, top, Web, zachary garcia, ZacharyGarcia, zachery garcia, ZacheryGarcia
Comments
52
Subscribe to commentsJerry DennisDec 1st 2010 6:18AM
I Googled my own name to find I share it with a successful author. I wonder if he gets all the spam I get for real estate, erectile dysfunction, Rolex watches, Viagra, million-dollar ATM card payments, multi-million-dollar inheritances from Nigeria, and everything else.
Marit LondeauxDec 1st 2010 11:06AM
Hey, I get notices of multi-million dollar inheritances from Nigeria also! Are we related?
al schraderDec 1st 2010 7:51PM
@(verified) On this same page is a story about wikileaks. Secrets are a sign of fear & weakness that you are hiding something, afraid someone will find it out. I have no secrets. People can ask me anything they want. They already know if they want trouble, I have it for them. How ? I'm the real Iron Man....Alfredschrader
VDec 5th 2010 4:05AM
Scarey to think the wrong person could be accused of a crime because someone didn't notice the spelling of ones name or the age either. The one boys a college student and the other a teenager so their must have been a difference in the ages as well. Glad the wrong person wasn't convicted though.
hwymanDec 1st 2010 7:23AM
Mom always said never Google yourself!
sandyDec 1st 2010 7:43AM
oh wow what a bad day! Just par for the course at Gainsville -right? Anyway did anyone expect different from Florida? typical I would say. I remember my husband had to take off for court due to a mix-up and the judge said why are you here? The gov. can't get anything right for here in fla.,can they . We were just denighed food stamps and we are below poverty level.
David.Dec 1st 2010 8:05AM
@(Unverified)
Boohoo, the government didn't give me food stamps.
I would be amused if I were accidentally wanted for murder. Id print it out and for most people it would be their 5 minutes of fame. It isn't that big of a deal and its an easy fix. A lot easier than trying to explain to someone in India that you want to change your cell phone plan. The scariest part about this is if they really thought that it was this sandwich making kid, was he hard to find? No one even tried to find him. Hell, I bet Osama Bin Laden has a website that has his address on it, and his favorite place to eat on Friday night at 8:30 pm.
On another note, its BS that the original person was convicted of murder. They did not kill anyone. So follow this scenario. Its a felony to have an ounce of marijuana. I buy an ounce of marijuana from someone, they trip and die while handing it to me. I am a murderer because they died while we were committing a felony.
These kids broke into someones house, true. That's a felony, and it was definitely wrong. The home owner shot them, I would of shot them too. You don't know who is breaking into your home. However, to convict the other kids who were there of murder is totally BS. They didn't have weapons, they were all minors, and have no prior arrests or anything AND THEY DIDN'T KILL ANYONE. They were just there when the homeowner shot the other kids.
So in the end, what we have here is 2 people innocent of the charges against them. Zachary and Zachery are both falsely charged of committing murder.
jejozi!aol.comDec 1st 2010 3:20PM
@(Unverified)
Yet you have a computer and internet access.......Cell phone and cable, too?
JeffDec 1st 2010 3:25PM
@(Unverified)
Yet you have a computer and internet access.....Cell phone and cable, too?
bjhummDec 1st 2010 9:20AM
@(Unverified)
I'm glad you pointed out the same thing that got me ticked. The homeowner SHOT and KILLED the boy; the other boys didn't. The govt. is sure looney on this one. They don't show that on the cop shows, do they?!!
AmberDec 1st 2010 9:59AM
@(Unverified) Don't know if this will make you feel better or not, but the kid is only spending a year in a juvenile facility (he wasn't charged as an adult, although one of the kids involved was). And since the article doesn't specify, this is a 2nd-degree murder charge, which is far less serious than 1st degree and means something totally different in court. In my state, this would have been considered manslaughter, but legal definitions differ by state. Don't get all hyped up over the word "murder." People see murder and think life sentences and the death penalty, but that is actually a very small percentage of cases.
What's funny about your analogy is that the person whose house they broke into seems to be a drug dealer. During the investigation, cocaine was found in the home, and the homeowner is being charged with possession with intent to sell.
John FoustDec 1st 2010 1:39PM
Your stupidity is showing.
So, let's see. The cops mistakingly put your picture instead of the real culprit. Your picked up, thrown in jail, and before things are sorted out you and Bubba become boyfriend, girlfriend, you obviously being the girl. No problem. It would be worth to you for your five minutes of fame? Maybe this is a scenario you go through every day. Personally I'd be pretty upset. Like the guy said, making a bad sandwich is one thing, being accused of murder is another. The two are polar extremes. Screwing with someones life is relatively important.
MicheleDec 1st 2010 4:03PM
@(Unverified) I think there is a difference between someone tripping and dieing when they hand you a bag and someone committing burglary. One is a crime against another person, the other is a crime because the government say it's a crime. Difference is 'malum in se' - wrong in itself and 'mala prohibita' - wrong because it is prohibited. There is no victim in the first scenario! I agree with the law in this case, which doesn't happen often.
FISHERDec 1st 2010 5:15PM
@(Unverified) Question is, how do YOU KNOW THEY, ( the teenagers) wern't armed and going to kill the owner of the house ??? I say, anyone who goes into an occupied house, should be delt with, so what they didn't have a record..they never got caught....Fry them...three less problems..
sluDec 2nd 2010 2:14AM
@(Unverified)
@(Unverified)
Wrong.
"While there is some debate about the original scope of the rule, modern interpretations typically require that the felony be an inherently dangerous one, or one committed in an obviously dangerous manner."
Even Wikipedia knows better
LemDec 1st 2010 8:44AM
Wow. Poor guy. Didn't help that he does resemble the criminal a bit. I'd better check my own name. Checked my sister's one day a few years ago, and got over a thousand hits, none of them good. Unfortunately, they had the right person, and it was my family's first inkling that her new "career" was something quite unsavory.
wish_book_cafeDec 1st 2010 12:29PM
@(Unverified)
I too thought that they looked quite similiar in appearance but the you man that is wanted has more of a Latino or Mexican look then the other young man. As to their ages...there is only one year difference and they were born on the same day. The young man that is not guilty of the crime is exactly one year older then the other young man who committed the crime.
MARYDec 1st 2010 12:53PM
@(Unverified)
JeffDec 1st 2010 3:30PM
@(Unverified)
If a death occures during the commision of a felony it's first degree murder for whomever is involved in the commision of the crime. Happens all the time, even on TV.
mohopeteDec 1st 2010 4:11PM
the law states that if someone dies during the commision of a felony, you can be charged with murder. Don't blame law enforcement because u are too dumb to realize this. Go ahead and feel sorry for the 4 teens who did a home invasion on an innocent person who was lucky enuff to defend himself before they harmed him. Maybe when they get out of jail they can visit u at home and you guys can talk about how unfair the legal system is....