2006 Cold Case Murder Solved: Manatee County Sheriff

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — After 16 years, a suspect has been charged in the 2006 murder of Guadalupe Vela, who was 20 at the time of his death, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Pedro “Pedico” Garcia, 40, was charged with murder, not premeditated, in Vela’s death, jail records show.

This is the second cold-case murder charge against Garcia. In June of 2021, an arrest warrant for the 2014 murder of Samuel Conde was issued for Garcia, MCSO said.

• Also Read: Cold-Case Arrest Warrant Issued In 2014 Bradenton Murder: Sheriff

On July 25, 2006, Vela got into an argument with Garcia, a known member of the street gang East Side Crip, at the Santa Fe Bar and Grill in Bradenton. The victim, who was a member of a rival gang, continued to argue with Garcia outside the bar before both men left the area, heading in different directions, the agency said.

Later, Vela went to a relative’s house in the 100 block of 33rd Avenue East, where he encountered Garcia again. The argument continued, eventually turning to gunfire. Garcia shot at Vela, hitting him twice in the back while he was trying to get away, the sheriff’s office said.

Vela was found dead in the home’s backyard. Deputies collected several 9 mm bullet casings in the road, but potential witnesses of the shooting refused to speak with investigators, the agency said.

In October of 2006, Garcia was stopped for a traffic violation in the 1300 block of 9th Avenue West in Bradenton. Deputies found a 9mm gun in his car and arrested him for possessing a firearm as a felony.

Ballistics testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement later linked the gun to the crime scene where Vela’s body was found, though the rounds that hit the victim likely came from a different gun, the sheriff’s office said.

In the years that followed, separate witnesses told detectives that Garcia made statements to them about killing Vela, according to MCSO.

Last summer, detectives learned that Garcia, while in Manatee County Jail in 2015, confided to another inmate that he killed Vela, providing specific details about the night and crime scene, the agency said.

A prisoner at the Wakulla Correctional Institute told detectives in July of 2021 that they saw Garcia shoot Vela.

On Monday, MCSO Homicide Investigative Unit detectives obtained a warrant for the arrest of Garcia in connection with Vela’s death. Garcia, out on bond for Conte’s unrelated death, was found in the 800 block of 30th Avenue West in Bradenton and taken into custody.

Detectives believe Garcia may have committed other unsolved, violent crimes from the early to mid-2000s. Anyone with information about him is asked to contact MCSO at 941-747-3011. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000, call Manatee Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS or visit www.ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.