Fugitive accused in 1984 Tampa murder wants bond after 40 years on the run
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa fugitive's luck finally ran out. Defendant Donald Santini has been caught after being on the run for nearly four decades.
Santini is accused of killing Cynthia Wood in 1984 in Tampa and skipping town.
Investigators say she was strangled to death and her body was found in a watery ditch.
Santini‘s fingerprints were on her body, according to detectives.
Police say that Donald Santini is the suspect in a 1984 murder.
Santini made his first court appearance on Thursday morning.
His Hillsborough County public defender, Jamie Kane, announced that he will be seeking bond.
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The prosecutor, Michelle Doherty, signaled to the judge she will be fighting it.
Donald Santini being booked into jail courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"We will be filing a motion for pretrial detention. This is a case that happened in 1984. He’s fled from justice all that time, so obviously we are going to be objecting to any sort of bond," said Doherty.
Santini was recently tracked down in San Diego, California, and extradited back to Florida. Investigators say he used a number of aliases to hide his true identity, but investigators say new technology helped to track him down.
A bond hearing has been set for Wednesday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m.
A judge will hear evidence and testimony and decide if Santini will be granted bond.