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Conviction in Turlock Beating Death Case
A man from Modesto has been found guilty in connection with the 2017 beating death of a young individual in Turlock, California. Shaun Mark Santos, aged 29, was convicted of murder and several robbery charges, as confirmed by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
Santos is scheduled for sentencing on April 7, where he faces the possibility of receiving a life sentence behind bars.
Incident Overview
The events unfolded on December 4, 2017, when Santos, along with three accomplices involved in earlier violent robberies, targeted Donnelly Park in hopes of finding more victims. They approached 21-year-old Cameron Tracy and his girlfriend.
Using a replica firearm, the assailants demanded that Tracy and his girlfriend surrender their possessions. In a brutal escalation, Santos struck Tracy from behind multiple times with a metal bat.
Tracy’s girlfriend managed to escape and contacted emergency services, which led to Tracy being transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries over a week later.
Investigative Breakthrough
The Turlock Police Department’s investigation into the incident ultimately led to the apprehension of the four suspects, who were linked to earlier violent felonies that occurred prior to the attack.
One of the other defendants, Terry Van Meter, entered a guilty plea to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in January 2020 and was sentenced to six years in prison. Assistant District Attorney noted that this plea was influenced by Van Meter’s non-involvement in the fatal strike against Tracy.
At the time of the crime, Van Meter, a resident of Manteca, was only 16 years old.
Charges Against Co-Defendants
Santos, Van Meter, and a third suspect, Lavinia Perez of Modesto, who was 38 at the time, faced charges that included murder and multiple counts of robbery related to the assault on Tracy and his girlfriend, as well as two additional robberies that occurred at the park earlier that week. A 15-year-old accomplice was also taken into custody.
Tragically, on the day of the assault, Tracy was in the process of preparing to relocate to Utah with his family just days later, highlighting the senselessness of the violence that cut his life short.
As of last week, the District Attorney’s Office had not released any updates regarding the legal status of Perez or the 15-year-old. Previous reports indicated that the juvenile’s case would remain within the juvenile court system due to his age at the time of the crime.
Source
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