Donald Michael Santini, who went under the name Charles Michael Stevens, according to a court document obtained by Inside Edition Digital, was arrested last week.
A cold case suspect has been caught after allegedly evading arrest for nearly 40 years and even watched his story unfold on “America’s Most Wanted,” according to police.
Donald Michael Santini, 65, was arrested in San Diego last month and accused of the 1984 murder Cynthia Wood, 33, in Florida. Wood's body was discovered strangled and abandoned in a canal, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Cops say Santini was the last person seen with Wood before detectives discovered her body. He was identified as a suspect shortly after the murder. Cops sat he fled Hillsborough County immediately.
Law enforcement were finally able to locate Santini in early June after he evaded capture for 39 years, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
Santini, who went under the name Charles Michael Stevens, according to a court document obtained by Inside Edition Digital, was arrested last week.
"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 in a statement. "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."
Santini, who also went by other alias’ such as Wellman Simmons, Donald Trapman and John Trimble, was busted in California last month and extradited to Florida, where he has been charged with first-degree murder.
Santini has not yet entered a plea and has another court appearance on July 6. He is currently being held without bond. No attorney has been listed for his case but Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the office of the public defender and inquired if they are representing him or have a comment and has not heard back.
Cops say Santini has appeared several times on the television show "America's Most Wanted" in 1990, 2005, and 2013. Over the years, multiple Collateral Lead Investigation Requests have been sent to Districts in Texas, California, and even as far as Thailand, but Santini was never located.
In the past, authorities said before Wood’s death, Santini had served time in prison for raping a woman while stationed in Germany.
He was also wanted in Galveston, Texas, for aggravated robbery in 1983, with prosecutors alleging that Santini was released ahead of trial which, from there, Santini fled the Lone Star State and arrived in Florida, where he killed Wood in June 1984, according to Insider.
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