John Gitomer was a petty criminal who was murdered as part of a plot to discredit SFPD lieutenant Adam Kirk. Lt. Kirk was scheduled to testify against a man named Leonard Stokes, a friend of Gitomer's. A few days before the trial, Stokes contacted Gitomer and told him about a plan to discredit the cop and allow him to walk away from a conviction. Gitomer was to frame Kirk for police brutality. Tying a sock full of batteries to his ceiling fan. Gitomer first inflicted bruises on his chest to simulate being beaten. He then contacted Adam Kirk, allegedly to provide inside information about an upcoming drug deal. He insisted that Kirk not only meet him at a local carnival, but that they ride the Ferris wheel together. Once on the ride, Gitomer began screaming that Kirk was hitting him.