Cynthia Wood’s stepdaughter, Shirley Wood, spoke with Inside Edition and said, “It just amazes me that since 9/11 someone can evade the judicial system for so long.”
Donald Michael Santini was a pillar of his community as an upstanding citizen who served as head of the local water board. He was also, according to authorities, a cold-blooded killer who got away with murder for 40 years.
Now he's under arrest after hiding for decades in plain sight and the victim’s 60-year-old stepdaughter tells Inside Edition she “never thought this day would come.”
Earlier this month, the 65-year-old Santini was denied bail and was told by a California judge, “you're the definition of flight risk. There is nothing I can do to preserve the safety of this community if I let you go.”
Prosecutors say he's a wanted contract killer who hid in plain sight for forty years. His FBI wanted poster was so old it was offered on eBay for $39.00 as "Vintage Americana."
Santini is accused of strangling Cynthia Wood, a 33-year-old mom from Tampa, Florida, in 1984. She was found face down in a ditch. Santini allegedly lured her to a meeting with a promise to help her in a custody battle.
Cynthia Wood’s stepdaughter, Shirley Wood, spoke with Inside Edition and said, “It just amazes me that since 9/11 someone can evade the judicial system for so long.”
“You can't even get a drivers license unless you have proof, you can't get married without a birth certificate and social security number,” Shirley added.
Authorities say he settled in a tiny town outside San Diego under the name Wellman Simmonds.
Santini also went under the names, including Donald Trapman, John Trimble and Charles Michael Stevens, according to the arrest warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
He was married in 1990 and has an adult daughter. After his arrest she posted "I miss you papa. Stay strong."
Over the years outside San Diego, California, he became a "pillar of the community,” “upstanding." But his world came crashing down after he applied for a passport and was arrested by U.S. Marshals in late June.
In a handwritten letter to a TV station he allegedly said: “The reason I have been able to run so long is to live a loving respectful life. I feel like I am being used as a patsy.”
But his alleged victim's stepdaughter says her family feels no sympathy for this suspected killer.
“How was he able to live a life like that when all of us had to live our lives in turmoil and he'll be crying a lot more, hopefully by the time they're done with him,” she tells Inside Edition.
Prior to the murder, Santini served time in prison for a rape conviction and was also wanted in connection with a robbery in Texas.
