Anthony Garland was the son of Thomas Garland, and a resident of Hancock Park, Los Angeles. He was a classic case of a spoiled rich child, and he exhibited anger management issues as an adult. He was hired by his father to work as a security guard for the family's oilfield operations.
In 1993 his girlfriend of the time broke up with him and moved back to Texas, enraging Garland. Later, Garland somehow crossed paths with Marie Gesto and he killed her as a sort of replacement outlet for his rage. He buried her in Beachwood Canyon and parked her car in the garage that went with his ex-girlfiend's apartment.
He became the prime suspect when Gesto was reported missing in September of 1993. He was interrogated by LAPD detective Harry Bosch on 11 March 1994, again in 1996, and once more in April of 2005, but he was never arrested. Garland was always represented by an attorney, and no case could ever be made against him. At one point Garland was able to get a restraining order against Bosch to prevent any further questioning. Still, Garland evidently felt the pressure from Bosch's continuing investigation.
In 2006, Garland and his father were approached by Abel Pratt in order to pin Gesto's murder on Raynard Waits and put Bosch off the pursuit. The plan fell apart, resulting in Garland killing Pratt and being killed by FBI agents.