The son of Boston Red Sox legend Jerry Remy flashed what appeared to be a newly acquired neo-Nazi tattoo in court last week, as he pleaded guilty to the brutal murder of his girlfriend.
Jared Remy — the son of the former Red Sox second baseman and broadcaster — raised his cuffed right hand to his face during his Tuesday appearance, showing off a small, crudely inked '88' that was only later identified as a symbol of racist hate.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 88 stands for "Heil Hitler" as H is the eighth letter in the alphabet, and is a long established marking of white supremacists.
'That's definitely a neo-Nazi tattoo,' SPLC senior fellow Mark Potok told the Boston Globe.
Such tattoos — scrawled in a style similar to that used by Germanic people before the Middle Ages — are common among white inmates in prisons across America, Potok told the newspaper.
Often times it signifies solidarity as much as bigotry, he added.
Remy may have joined the white supremacist group for protection inside the prison walls.
Remy may have joined the white supremacist group for protection inside the prison walls.
The tattoo may also help to explain an alleged attack of African-American inmate, Jemery Hodges, on April 3, using scalding water, a bar of soap, and a chair.
"I did what I had to do. I got a child molester," Remy said after the incident, according to court records cited by the Globe.
Hodges has pleaded guilty to transporting a minor to engage in commercial sex acts, and is awaiting trial on child pornography charges.
Remy's victim was Jennifer Martel. Her close friend and neighbor Kristina Hill told the Globe that the hand tattoo appeared to be new but said it didn't shock her because he'd spoken in the past about wanting to get a swastika tattoo.
Remy was immediately given the mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole when he confessed to the gruesome stabbing of Martel last August.
Jerry Remy, a former Red Sox second baseman who has been a color analyst on team broadcasts on the New England Sports Network since 1988, was not in court for the hearing.
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