Modesto, Calif. — A Stanislaus County jury has convicted Shaun Mark Santos, 29, from Modesto, of murder in connection with a violent robbery spree that culminated in the death of a 21-year-old man in Donnelly Park over seven years ago. Santos, who faces life imprisonment, is slated for sentencing on April 5, according to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.
The events in question trace back to late 2017, when Santos and three accomplices engaged in multiple violent robberies. Their crime spree reached a tragic peak on December 4, 2017, at Donnelly Park in Turlock. There, Santos and his group, equipped with a replica firearm, forcibly stripped Cameron Tracy, 21, of Patterson, and his girlfriend of their possessions.
In a devastating assault, Santos attacked Tracy from behind, striking him multiple times with a metal bat. While Tracy’s girlfriend was able to escape and summon help, Tracy succumbed to his injuries after a nine-day battle in the hospital.
The stolen items, including Tracy’s Apple watch, car keys, and cellphone, were later valued at a few hundred dollars, highlighting the senselessness of the violence.
The breakthrough in the case came when Turlock Police investigators identified a suspect vehicle through surveillance footage from a nearby business. The vehicle, a white 2004 Kia Sedona with Nevada license plates, was located in Manteca through collaborative efforts between local law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. This operation led to the arrest of Santos and his cohort in Stockton. Among those apprehended were Lavinia Perez and two teenagers, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, who were taken to Stanislaus County Jail and Juvenile Hall, respectively.
Investigators recovered some of the stolen items and replica handguns in the vehicle.
Further investigations linked Santos and his accomplices to additional robberies at Donnelly Park. One incident on November 17 saw a victim assaulted by the group, and another on November 26 involved several attackers who threw a man to the ground and kicked him before stealing his phone. In this latter case, a female victim was also threatened at gunpoint and robbed of her personal belongings.
The crimes not only shocked the community but also initiated discussions on public safety and the prevention of violent crimes in local parks.
The complexities of the case extended to the trials of Santos’ accomplices. In 2020, Terry Van Meter, then 18, from Manteca, was sentenced to six years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and robbery after a change in the felony murder law in California, which affected charging in cases involving accomplices.
Van Meter received a sentence in January that accounted for time already served, while the case involving the 15-year-old remained in juvenile court, leaving his identity and proceedings confidential. Perez faced charges of murder and robbery, with court records indicating ongoing legal proceedings as recent as August 2024.
This case underscores the intersection of youth involvement in violent crimes and the impact of legislative changes on prosecutorial practices, emphasizing a broader dialogue on reform and the mechanisms of justice.