A court judge in Tampa, Florida has made the decision to hold Donald Santini, a 65-year-old California fugitive, without bond in connection with the death of a woman almost four decades ago. Santini was apprehended by U.S. marshals in California last month after using multiple aliases over the years.
According to the arrest warrant, Santini was the last person seen with Cynthia “Cindy” Ruth Wood, who was 33 at the time of her death. A medical examiner had determined that Wood had been strangled, and Santini’s fingerprints were found on her body.
During a hearing on Thursday, Judge Catherine Catlin confronted Santini, saying, “You being on the run for almost 40 years is a consciousness of guilt. You knew you were running from something.” Photos taken in the courtroom captured Santini weeping before the judge denied him bond.
Denise Kozer, Wood’s stepdaughter, expressed her hopes for closure in a case that has caused “total devastation” for her family. In 1984, Santini went by the alias Charles Michael Stevens to avoid a warrant in Texas. At the time of his arrest, he was living under the name Wellman Simmonds in Campo, California, where he served on the local water board.
Kozer shared her sympathy for Santini’s wife and children in California, as they were likely unaware of his true identity. However, she noted that the impact on her own family has been severe, with Barry Wood and Cindy Wood’s older son having passed away since the murder, and her younger half-siblings struggling with mental health issues.
The case has gained attention with multiple appearances on “America’s Most Wanted.” Wood had met with Santini, who had promised her information about her husband to aid in a custody battle. Kozer hopes that Santini will not have the opportunity to escape again, stating, “If they need extra evidence, we’re willing to let them exhume the body — whatever it takes to make sure that he doesn’t go anywhere.”
Santini’s attorney requested bail, but prosecutors pointed out that he had killed Wood after fleeing a charge in Texas related to a robbery at a convenience store. The judge deemed Santini a flight risk, stating, “You are the definition of flight risk. There is nothing I can do to preserve the safety of this community if I was to let you go.”
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