• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Said to Have Been Framed For Tampa Murder, Deaf Convict Felix Garcia Is Denied Release

November 20, 2014 | FlaglerLive | Leave a Comment

Felix Garcia, left, is said to have been framed for murder by his brother Francisco. Both are serving long sentences in state prison.
Felix Garcia, left, is said to have been framed for murder by his brother Francisco. Both are serving long sentences in state prison.

The stories of two brothers serving time for a 1981 murder clashed again Wednesday, as a state panel held parole hearings for Felix Garcia, a deaf man who supporters say was framed, and his brother Frank, who they say framed him.


Both brothers are serving long sentences for the murder of Joseph Tramontana Jr. in a north Tampa motel room.

The Florida Commission on Offender Review voted to reduce Felix Garcia’s release date by 12 months and moved his next parole hearing up to 2017. Felix Garcia’s release date now is in 2025, but commissioners kept Frank Garcia’s release date in 2026. Felix Garcia’s supporters had hoped he would be released with time served, arguing that he’d been unable to understand the evidence against him during the murder trial and wasn’t given an interpreter.

“He had a 70 percent (hearing) loss,” said Pat Bliss, who met Felix Garcia 18 years ago as a paralegal working on his case. “He kept saying, ‘Yes, sir,’ so they wouldn’t think he was stupid. And that is another trait of the deaf.”

But Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober called that argument “disingenuous.” He acknowledged that Felix Garcia had “a hearing problem,” but said it didn’t affect “his ability to hear and comprehend and comment on the issues during his trial.”

Four of Tramontana’s sisters also appeared, describing the devastating toll the murder took on their mother, father and another brother, Eugene.

“We’ve been doing this for over 30 years,” said Emily Hobson of the hearing. “It takes a toll on you emotionally.”

Felix Garcia’s attorney Reginald Garcia — no relation to the brothers — said his client had been miles away at the time of the murder, with two witnesses substantiating his claim.

During the trial, Frank Garcia and a sister testified against Felix Garcia, but they have since recanted that testimony.

But when the commission turned from Felix Garcia’s case to Frank Garcia’s, a younger brother, Mike, said he’d been told Felix Garcia was present when the murder took place.

“From what I hear, that was not a robbery,” Mike Garcia said. “It was a drug deal gone bad.”

He also argued that Frank Garcia was remorseful for his role in Tramontana’s murder and should be released. “I’m just saying, in the court system we have today, my brother has completed his 33 years,” he said.

But the three-member commission — Tena Pate, Melinda Coonrod and Richard Davison — did not agree.

Although much of the testimony dealt with evidence for and against the Garcia brothers, commissioners made clear their function was not that of retrying the case but of determining whether the brothers had earned the right to release.

In Felix Garcia’s case, they noted, he has earned a number of vocational certificates. Bliss, who is now retired, told commissioners that Felix Garcia would come to live with her in Virginia if he was released. She added that her church and many members of the deaf community were eager to help him re-enter society.

In fact, Felix Garcia’s case has become something of a cause célèbre. In March, hundreds of Floridians rallied at the state Capitol for bills that would have required the licensure of sign-language interpreters and the restoration of funding for a council that coordinates the state’s policies for deaf Floridians. But the measures failed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 3.1 million Floridians are hearing-impaired.

Pate, the commission chair, called the brothers’ case a prime example of the need for a prevention initiative the commission launched earlier this year, aimed at helping at-risk youths understand the impact of crime.

“Here we are 34 years later from when this crime was committed, and we’re seeing the impact still today of how it has affected these families,” she said. “And we’re left trying to figure out exactly what it was that happened 34 years ago. So this is why I want us to continue our crime-prevention efforts.”

–Margie Menzel, News Service of Florida

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • WNZF Creekside Festival

Recent Comments

  • Denali on Food Poisoning: What and Where to Never Eat
  • Denali on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • Denali on Sally Hunt Raises Questions About Using Schools as Shelters During Hurricane Emergencies
  • Jared on At FPC, Misplaced ‘Man Cave’ Culture and Improprieties Cause Demise of Girls’ Basketball Coach
  • Deirdre on Brendan Depa’s Mother Tells Her Son’s Story
  • Linda on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • Sherry on DeSantis Solution to Climate Change: Burn More Fossil Fuels
  • Dennis C Rathsam on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • Deborah Coffey on Bible Challenge in Flagler Schools Unravels Inconsistencies, Arbitrariness and Confusion in Review Process
  • Deborah Coffey on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • tg on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • The dude on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • Been There on Florida’s Policing of Public Restroom Gender Draws Federal Lawsuit from Trans and Nonbinary Group
  • Been There on Bible Challenge in Flagler Schools Unravels Inconsistencies, Arbitrariness and Confusion in Review Process
  • Wow on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.
  • JimboXYZ on Flagler School Board Wants ‘Standing’ Closed-Door Meetings Every 3 Months. That Would Be Illegal.

Log in