link to article by James Ridgeway on Felix Garcia: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/deaf-prisoners-felix-garcia?page=1

On Aug. 4, 1981, a man was murdered in a Tampa area hotel. Several days later another man, Frank Garcia, hocked a ring that had come from the crime scene. Frank was with his own brother Felix and sister Tina at the pawn shop.  Frank had his brother Felix sign the pawn note claiming he'd forgotten his ID. 

On discovering the crime, the Police arrested Felix for murder and robbery, based on his signature on the pawn note, and the word of both his brother and sister. (Felix's sister Tina married the other man who was accused, along with Frank, of committing the crime).

Compounding his situation, is the fact that Felix was severely deaf at the time of his trial in 1983, and did not clearly understand the details of what was happening around him.

Now, almost three decades later, Felix remains in prison in FL, even though his brother-who committed the crime-has come forward and recanted his earlier testimony. Frank pleaded guilty to second degree murder, and implicated Felix as the killer in order to avoid the death penalty. Frank has now said that he and Ray Stanley committed the crime, and that Felix was not there and had nothing to do with it.

It is time for the State of Florida to release Felix Garcia--an innocent deaf man who has been incarcerated for almost 3 decades for a crime he did not commit.