 His mother died when he was four; he was then taken in by the Thief Lord, the leader of the gang Lightning.Each time Roach is caught committing a crime, an "X" is tattooed onto the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger.After his third capture, Roach is sentenced to the docks but is saved by Niko, who stopped the judge and convinced her to allow him to take Roach to Winding Circle.