Judge nixes request for makeup artist to cover defendant's facial tattoos at trial
Corrected: A Florida man charged in a double-murder case won’t be provided with a makeup artist to cover up his facial tattoos at trial.
Although judges have allowed such services in other cases, Circuit Judge Richard Burton said he saw no reason for the state to pay to conceal tattoos that Marcus Jerry had prior to his arrest, the Palm Beach Post reports.
The tattoos are barely visible in a booking photo of the 22-year-old on the Palm Beach Posts’ website.
A Florida judge earlier OK’d the use of a $100-a-day cosmetologist in a Pasco Circuit Court murder case. However, that defendant apparently had more distinctive tattoos including a swastika and “f—— you” on his neck and a line of Frankenstein-like stitches down his face.
In another recent Florida case, defense attorney Robert Gershman personally applied makeup provided by the family of his client, double-murder defendant Robert Alvarez, each morning before trial, with the permission of the judge, according to CNN and the Post. Alvarez at last report was awaiting his fourth trial.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Accused triple murderer’s ‘death row x 3’ tattoo poses hairy issue for trial court judge”
ABAJournal.com: “Man with horns on face, 666 tattoo on forehead is guilty in triple-murder case”
Updated at 2:12 p.m. to correctly state that Alvarez was awaiting his fourth trial.
