TAMPA, Fla. — A man linked to a Tampa cold case murder nearly 40 years ago took a plea deal on Thursday and will spend 50 years in prison, followed by 15 years of probation, the State Attorney's Office announced.
Donald Santini was set to go to trial this month for the 1984 strangling murder of Cynthia Ruth Wood, a then 33-year-old single mother.
Authorities had a major break in the case back in June after Santini, 65, was arrested in San Diego and later extradited. He had been identified as a suspect shortly after the murder and immediately fled Hillsborough County.
"The arrest of Donald Santini brings closure to a long-standing cold case and provides justice for the victim and her family after nearly four decades of waiting," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said at the time of Santini's arrest. "Let's not forget the tireless work that has gone into this case over the years, the resources, and expertise to pursue justice for Cynthia Wood."
The State Attorney's Office said that Santini "eluded capture" by living under the name Wellman Simmonds. He had abandoned his true identity and assumed a new life in Texas and California in the years following Woods' murder.
"Santini was featured on America's Most Wanted several times throughout his decades on the run but was only discovered by federal authorities this year when he applied for a passport and his fingerprints were found to be a match for the missing murder suspect," a spokesperson with the State Attorney's Office explained in a release.
Woods' body was found in a watery ditch three days after she went missing on June 6, 1984.
"No family should have to spend decades waiting for justice to be served in the cruel murder of their loved one," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. "This defendant not only stole an innocent life, but he also left a family without their mother, and without answers.
"Our thoughts are with the victim's family and friends as they close a painful chapter and move toward healing."