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Murder suspect bursts into tears in court
Donald Santini, who is accused of killing a Tampa woman in 1984 and spending nearly 40 years as a fugitive, wants out of jail. Gloria Gomez reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - An elusive fugitive accused of killing a Tampa woman in 1984 has run out of luck.
Donald Santini, who was recently captured after nearly 40 years on the run wants out of jail and asked a judge to set a bond on Thursday.
But prosecutors want him locked up until his trial. They say Santini has already proved he is a huge flight risk and Santini’s own words may come back to haunt them.
He recently admitted to investigators, he had skipped bail back in 1983 on an old armed robbery charge out of Texas.
Donald Santini was captured after 40 years on the run.
Prosecutor Michelle Doherty was quick to point out that one year later detectives say he killed Cynthia Wood in Tampa.
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"You have from his very own mouth that he has been on the lam for 39 years and he purposely has been using fake ID’s so that he can avoid law enforcement," argued Doherty.
Santini’s is accused of killing Wood back in 1984. Her body was discovered in a ditch days after she was reported missing. She had been strangled to death. Authorities say Santini’s fingerprints were on the body. Law enforcement says he skipped town shortly afterward and has been on the run for decades.
Santini is accused of killing Cynthia Wood in 1984.
According to investigators, he used a list of aliases to hide his true identity until police tracked him down in San Diego when he tried to apply for an illegal passport. After learning who he really was, Santini was arrested and brought back to Florida.
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He was recently booked into the Hillsborough County jail but could have been released if the judge was swayed by his attorney.
Law enforcement stand at the scene where Wood's body was discovered in 1984.
Hillsborough County public defender Jamie Kane wanted to know what evidence proved Santini jumped bail on the Texas charge.
"Where is the failure to appear warrant? Where is the circuit court case number? Where is the evidence that he was on pretrial release? Other than a simple statement of Mr. Santini, who is not a legal expert," argued Kane.
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But that didn’t seem to matter to the court. After hearing all the evidence, Tampa Judge Catherine Catlin had the final say.
Donald Santini cried in court when the judge denied him bond.
"You being on the run for almost 40 years shows a consciousness of guilt. You knew you were running from something. You are the definition of flight risk. There is nothing I can do to preserve the safety of this community if I were to let you go," ruled Catlin.
Santini wiped away tears when Judge Catlin denied him bond.
He will remain in jail until his trial.