"The Cosby Show" Actor & Rapper Merlin Santana MURDERED in Crenshaw District 2002

Merlin Santana (March 14, 1976 – November 9, 2002) was an American actor and rapper. Santana was best known for his roles as Rudy Huxtable's boyfriend Stanley on The Cosby Show, Marcus Dixon on Getting By, Marcus Henry in Under One Roof and as high school student Romeo Santana on The WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.

Early life

Born in New York City to parents from the Dominican Republic, Santana's career in show business began with a push from his parents, who wanted to keep him off the tough streets of New York.[1] He began his career at the age of three as an advertising model for a fast food chain. His first screen appearance was as an extra in the Woody Allen film, The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Acting career

In 1991, Santana landed a recurring role on The Cosby Show as Stanley, the boyfriend of Rudy Huxtable and the rival of Rudy's friend Kenny (Deon Richmond). He was then cast as Marcus Dixon in the short-lived sitcom, Getting By, starring Cindy Williams and Telma Hopkins. Deon Richmond was cast as his brother Darren, due to their interaction on The Cosby Show.

In November 1994, Santana appeared on Sister, Sister as Joey, in which he falls in love with Tia and Tamera (Tia and Tamera Mowry) at Rocket Burger.

In 1995, Santana was cast as Marcus Henry in the short-lived CBS family drama Under One Roof, co-starring with James Earl Jones, Joe Morton and Vanessa Bell Calloway. Between 1996 and 1999, he played the role of Ohagi on Moesha.

In 1996, he landed the role of Romeo Santana on The Steve Harvey Show. In 2001, he played the role of Jermaine in the movie Flossin. 

In 2002, he appeared in the VH1 TV movie, Play'd: A Hip Hop Story with Toni Braxton. That same year, Santana had a role in the Eddie Murphy comedy Showtime. His last television acting role was on the UPN series, Half & Half, his last film role was a 2003 comedy film, The Blues with Deon Richmond.

Death

On November 9, 2002, Santana was shot in the head and killed as he and his best friend, former child actor Brandon Quintin Adams were in a car leaving another man's home in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles. 

Damien Andre Gates fired the shot that entered through the trunk of the vehicle in which Santana was a passenger. The bullet penetrated the right-front passenger headrest and entered Santana's head, killing him instantly. Gates was convicted of the first-degree murder of Santana and the attempted murder of Adams and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 70 years in prison. Brandon Douglas Bynes received a 23-year sentence after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, even though none of the shots fired from his revolver entered the vehicle. An officer involved in the case testified that Monique King, reportedly Gates's girlfriend, who was age 15 at the time of Santana's death, falsely claimed that Santana made sexual advances towards her, which prompted Gates's and Bynes's attack. King was found guilty of second-degree murder and attempted murder[2] but acquitted on two murder charges, receiving ten years in juvenile custody.[3] Santana was 26 years old at the time of his death. He was buried on November 18, 2002, at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in The Bronx, New York.

Find A Grave link to Merlin Santana Page

LAPD News Release

Thursday, November 21, 2002

Robbery Homicide Detectives Solve Actors Murder

Los Angeles: On Saturday, November 9, 2002 at approximately 2:39 A.M., two Los Angeles Police Officers were flagged down by a male motorist at Crenshaw Boulevard and Exposition Boulevard. The male reported that a passenger in his vehicle had been shot. The officers observed that a male passenger was seated in the passenger seat and apparently suffering from a gunshot wound. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics were summoned and pronounced the death of the victim. The subsequent investigation revealed that the vehicle’s driver and the victim were seated in a vehicle in the 3800 block of Victoria Avenue when the victim was shot by unknown(s) suspects. The driver of the vehicle drove to Crenshaw Boulevard and Exposition Boulevard where he summoned assistance. The motive for the incident was not determined. The victim was identified as Merlin Santana, age 26. The driver of the vehicle was not injured. Robbery-Homicide Division, Homicide Special Section I personnel responded to the scene and initiated an extensive investigation. The subsequent efforts to identify, locate and arrest the responsible suspects included the participation of Robbery-Homicide Division and Special Investigation Section Detectives and personnel of the United States Marshalls Service Los Angeles Regional Task Force.

UPDATE

On November 11, two females, one age 15 and one age 14, who were present in a vehicle during the murder of Mr. Santana, were placed under arrest by Robbery-Homicide Division Detectives. On Thursday, November 21, a search warrant was served at a residence in the 3700 Block of 4 Avenue in Los Angeles. Two additional suspects were arrested for the murder of Mr. Santana. It has been determined that both suspects were armed with firearms during the murder of Mr. Santana. The suspects have been identified as Damien Andre Gates, Age 20, a resident of Los Angeles, and Brandon Douglas Bynes, age 23, a resident of Los Angeles.

This media advisory was prepared by Lieutenant Clay Farrell, Robbery-Homicide Division.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes

1991 Major Dad Marvin 2 episodes

1991 Law & Order Roneld Griggs Episode: "Mushrooms"

1991 The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez Newsboy

1991–1992 The Cosby Show Stanley 7 episodes

1992 In the Line of Duty: Street War Mikie TV movie

1993–1994 Getting By Marcus Dixon 31 episodes

1994 Sister, Sister Joey Episode: "Joey's Choice"

1995 Under One Roof Marcus Henry 6 episodes

1995 Street Gear Derick Davis 13 episodes

1995–1996 Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Calvin 2 episodes

1996 Harambee! Flex Television movie

1996–1999 Moesha Ohagi 4 episodes

1996–2002 The Steve Harvey Show Romeo Santana 122 episodes

1997 NYPD Blue Warren Episode: "A Draining Experience"

2001 Flossin Jermaine

2002 Showtime Hector

2002 JAG Seaman Aubrey McBride Episode: "Port Chicago"

2002 Play'd: A Hip Hop Story Mayhem TV movie

2002 Half & Half Dante Aldente Episode: "The Big Pimpin' Episode"

2003 The Blues Goya Direct-to-video release, (final film role)

References

1. Josephs, Tasheka (2006-11-09). "Remembering Merlin Santana On His 4-Year Death Anniversary." vibe.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. 

2. Blankstein, Andrew (March 17, 2004). "Teenage Girl Convicted for Role in Actor's Killing." Los Angeles Times. 

3. "Three Sentenced in Shooting Death of TV Actor Merlin Santana." Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 105 (19): 18. 2004-05-10. ISSN 0021-5996.