Forensic Artist Imprisons Over 2000

Amber Deery
Nov 5 · 6 min read

Forensic Artist, John McMahon, has worked in the criminal justice field for over 40 years. According to Crime Scene Investigator EDU, forensic art is defined as an artistic technique used for identification, apprehension, or conviction purposes. Forensic artists work closely with law enforcement officers to identify suspects and victims through facial composite sketches and reconstruction. John’s art has helped solve numerous cases in several south Florida counties.

McMahon started as a street cop. Every morning he would grab coffee at a local café. While sipping on his steaming black cup of joe, he flipped over the placemats and started to draw faces. He didn’t think much of his early morning “scribbles”. One sunny Florida day in 1974, his lieutenant decided to join him. Just like he did every morning, John flipped over his placemat and began to doodle. Lieutenant Robert Rios of the Broward County Homicide Unit was taken back by John’s work and asked him to give forensic art a try.

John McMahon

McMahon always knew he had the ability to draw, but never did anything with it due to the fact that he lacked formal training. He felt many mixed emotions about trying something completely out of his comfort zone. John bounced from ‘freaking out’ to feeling a sense of pride. “I was a 20 something street cop with all of these homicide detectives staring at me,” John McMahon said. “All of a sudden they were asking me to solve a murder.”

Eventually, McMahon sat down with some white copy paper and a couple of No. 2 pencils and got to work. The first time someone was caught based off of his sketch, he thought to himself “holy crap”. As a beginner, each sketch taught him something knew that would eventually help him perfect his craft.

Homicide detectives would provide McMahon with a giant stack of mugshots of individuals who matched the description of the suspect. For instance, if the suspect was a white male, the stack of photos would contain pictures of all white males. While sitting down with witnesses or victims, he would ask them to go through each photograph and identify which photo had similar facial features as the suspect. He would then take each picture and put them all together to create one composite sketch. This means that he would take the eyes from one photo and the nose from another and so on to create a whole other face on paper.

A victim or witness would watch John as he drew the sketch and suggest adjustments when needed. A typical sketch takes anywhere between three and four hours. McMahon is able to create successful composite sketches from crimes that occurred 20 or 30 years ago. “Victims have the image burned in their minds,” he says. Over the years, he has noticed that female witnesses are always more observant than males.

Since McMahon began drawing composite sketches, new technologies have been developed to help forensic artists do their jobs. John has used a specific program called Faces. His first sketch using this program landed him on America’s Most Wanted with John Walsh in 1998. The suspect’s mother saw the sketch on television and turned in her son, Nick Strumbellas. Strumbellas was charged and convicted of raping 15 females. Since then, John has made an appearance in many episodes on AMW. He has even been a feature on the Maury Povich show. Even though, forensic technology has proven to be successful, John swears that a hand drawn composite is always better than a machine.

Throughout his 40 years as a forensic artist, a little over 2,000 arrests have been made due to his sketches. This is more than what is currently in the Guinness World Records. He admits that there are still some unsolved crimes out there but so far, he has never had a sketch that has been completely off even if the crime was solved years after the sketch was developed. At the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, he learned how to properly age a sketch if it has been years since a certain crime took place.

McMahon is a Certified Expert Witness in Forensic Art, polygraphs, and facial reconstruction in Broward County. He has testified in court trials over 200 times. Most recently he was called to testify in trial for the State of Florida vs. Karari Ritchie case. This case dealt with the homicide of Tikkitress Johnson. Johnson was stabbed 86 times while working inside a Taco Bell in Oakland Park, Florida in 2009. This case recently went to trial in March 2019. Ten years later, Karari Richard was found guilty and convicted of first degree murder.

Shortly after the murder took place, McMahon was asked to develop a sketch of the suspect with the help of witnesses that were in the surrounding area. Less than two hours after the sketch was released on television, the police had a person of interest in custody. This is the fastest time that a suspect has been arrested after one of John’s sketches has been released. It usually takes about a week. “The drawing is what puts them in jail,” said McMahon. “It is then up to the detectives to build the case.”

McMahon testified twice in the trial. He believes it is one of his closest composites ever. Due to the sketch being so dead on, defense attorneys claimed that the sketch was drawn after the police had arrested Richard. This theory was debunked by homicide detectives. Once the sketch is finished, it is treated like evidence. John must turn it in to detectives where it is properly stored until necessary. A chain-of-custody certification is maintained in order to keep track of the trail of evidence, meaning where it has been and who has been in contact with it. McMahon says he was not nervous to testify. If he feels that he is educated on the case, he feels extremely confident when on the stand.

Karari Richard Sketch

Karari Richard was a former employee at the Taco Bell in which Tikkitree Johnson was employed. In June of 2019, the jury decided that Richard would avoid capital punishment. McMahon is surprised by the decision.

In the years between the release of the “Taco Bell Murder” sketch and the trial, McMahon has since retired from the Broward County Sheriffs Department. He reminisces on his long successful career. “I am known for saving people’s lives,” said McMahon. “It still freaks me out to know that I have put murderers in jail.”

John McMahon offers his advice to young aspiring artists. Anyone who has drawing abilities should consider this career path. He claims it is a hard job but someone has to do it. Having a vivid imagination and basic computer and Photoshop skills can take you a long way. “John has taught me everything I know and more,” said Autumn Krick, Forensic Imaging Investigator of Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Today, most police departments will require an associates or a bachelors degree in graphic art or design. Many schools offer a Forensic Artist Certification.

McMahon claims that taking dangerous people off of the streets leads to such an amazing feeling. “I like danger,” he said. “All the way from watching a scary movie to solving real crimes.” McMahon will forever be known as one of the best forensic artists in the United States. His artistry and skill will continue to inspire other artists and homicide detectives around the country. In the future, there is a possibility that some of his unsolved sketches could put away dangerous individuals for life.

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Group of young journalists at FGCU

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