Decades-Long Fugitive Donald Santini Sentenced to 50 Years for 1984 Murder

Santini, who used multiple aliases and lived a seemingly normal life in California, was finally apprehended in June following a tip to authorities.

Donald Santini, a 65-year-old California fugitive who eluded authorities for nearly four decades, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of Cynthia 'Cindy' Ruth Wood in Florida in 1984.
Santini pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a deal with prosecutors to avoid a first-degree murder charge.
Before his arrest, Santini had lived in California under the name of Wellman Simmonds and was president of a local water board in Campo, a suburb of San Diego.
Santini was arrested in June at his home near San Diego following a tip from the Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Santini was known to have used at least 13 aliases over the years, including Charles Michael Stevens in 1984, which he used to outrun a warrant for a crime committed in Texas.