Caught on the Web

MySpace.com took center stage a few weeks ago during the prosecution’s examination of witnesses in the murder trial of 15-year-old Ricardo Juarez, who authorities say was an active participant in the Eastside gang and killed 15-year-old Luis Angel Linares in a gang brawl on March 14, 2007. MySpace, as most living in the digital age know by now, is one of a variety of social networking Web sites used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to keep connected with friends and relatives, share interests, and stay up-to-date on each others’ lives.

But MySpace might have revealed a bit too much of what Juarez’s life entailed as his attorneys attempt to disprove claims that he was an active Eastsider around the time the murder occurred. Photos culled from Jaurez’s MySpace page show him flashing gang signs with his hands, wearing Eastside shirts, and hats that law enforcement claim are worn by gang bangers. Photos of Juarez flashing gang signs also came up on friends’ pages.

There were also several bits of evidence beyond just photos on his page. In the “about me” and “interests” sections of his MySpace page, Juarez said he “don’t watch TV, just gang bang,” and his interests include “some gangsta ass shit” as well as music. In her cross-examination of Detective Mike Brown, who testified about the MySpace information, Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Archer attempted to point out to the jury that it is not illegal to make hand signals, have nicknames, wear baggy clothing, use MySpace, or take pride in one’s neighborhood-all the things that the prosecution has been using to tie the defendant to a gang.