Baby Antonio Santiago - Murdered

[HairOfTheDog]

The story...

Remember the Georgia mother who says that she was walking by herself on a quiet Brunswick Street when two black boys tried to rob her, shot her in the leg, and then shot her baby in the head? This was back on March 21, 2013.

Her name is Sherry West. Her husband, Louis Santiago, was said to be shopping at Walmart at the time.


Murder Victim: Antonio Santiago..... The parents: Louis Santiago and Sherry West

It's always bothered me why would-be robbers would execute a baby. No money to be had there, no chance the baby could ID them, why not kill the mom?

It's possible the suspects are just evil beings, they were totally drugged out, or motivated by something not often seen in attempted robberies.


The suspects: Dominique Lang (15), De’ Marquise Elkins (17)

And, yes, the suspects' families and home lives are not ideal and they're probably not the teens you always dreamed of having. IMO.

Still, as the trial date approaches - AUGUST 19^th - and the defense is demanding evidence discovery from the prosecution, some new details related to gunshot residue on both parents' persons has me curious.

Not accusing the parents (might be able to be explained reasonably and the defense would want these questions/insinuations thrown out there), but still very curious to hear more about the actual evidence against the two black teens and how LE verified the stories of the baby's parents.

Also interesting is what Sherry West's daughter has been saying all along about suspecting her mother. Will post an interview with her down-thread.

[HairOfTheDog]

Update released today...

The father and mother of Antonio Santiago, the 13-month-old baby who was allegedly fatally shot in Brunswick, Ga. by two teens in March, had gunshot residue on them the day their son was killed, according to the state's forensic report obtained by CBS affiliate WTEV.

While the fact that Sherry West, the baby's mother, was also shot during her son's killing could explain why residue was found on her, it is unclear how or why the baby's father, Louis Santiago, would have been exposed to gunshot residue.

A conclusion from the state forensic report says, "This supports the possibility that [Louis Santiago] discharged a firearm, was in close proximity to a firearm upon discharge, or came into contact with an item whose surface bears GSR [gunshot residue]."

According to the station, Louis Santiago is currently in jail on charges of aggravated stalking. An arrest warrant from June 6 reportedly says Santiago was stalking Sherry West, in violation of police orders. He was reportedly convicted of the same charges in another case from 2009.

West claims Santiago "went nuts" in the months following their son's murder and violated a restraining order, according to the station.

"He was throwing things through the window and terrorizing me, saying that I killed my baby and it should have been me," West told the station.

According to the station, West says it is plausible that she would have gunshot residue on her because she was, in fact, shot. She also says it may be possible that the baby's father came into contact with the residue when he saw her at the hospital.

Police have not named Sherry West or Louis Santiago suspects in their son's murder.

[HairOfTheDog]

Sherry West interview about the incident. Very bizarre, imo.

During this interview, she implicates a crack-smoking former neighbor as "influencing" the death her other son (who was apparently 18 years old). She thinks the murder of Antonio might be connected to the murder of the older son 4 years ago.

Sherry's formerly estranged daughter, Ashley Glassey, says she hopes her mom is telling the truth, but she's suspicious of her actions and story.

Ashley says her mom asked her about about how quickly she could get the insurance money right after the baby was killed. She also says that her mother first told her that the baby was shot first and then told her that she was shot first.

All kinds of weird drama and twists on this one.

A city official was arrested for allegedly trying to keep police from one of the suspects' mothers as well.

Interview with West's daughter here:
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories...hers-story

[HairOfTheDog]

The case against the suspects...

Confession:
After receiving an anonymous tip, Brunswick police searched for hours before tracking down Dominique Lang, 15, who allegedly admitted to being involved in the attempted robbery. The cooperative teen then allegedly led authorities to the alleged shooter, De’Marquis Elkins, 17, as he was walking to his sister Sabrina Elkins’ home for breakfast.

Sherry West had identified one of the suspects from a photo line-up and police also reportedly used school attendance records to narrow down the suspect pool.

Elkins' family and the murder weapon:
On March 23^rd, Katrina Elkins, 33, the teen’s aunt (pictured below left), and his mother, Karimah Elkins, 36 (pictured below right), lead investigators to a small pond where they found a .22 caliber revolver, Glynn County police Chief Matt Doering told the Associated Press.



The aunt initially told the police that the 17 year old was eating breakfast at her house and couldn't have been involved. The two women were arrested for lying to authorities and evidence tampering and both posted $1,104 bail on the charges.

The charges against the teen suspects:
Elkins and Lang were indicted and charged with 11 and 7 counts of murder respectively. They escaped the death penalty only because they are minors, according to District Attorney Jackie Johnson.

Elkins is also being charged with another failed robbery attempt. On March 11^th, he allegedly pointed his gun at Wilfredo Calix-Flores, demanding his cell phone and wallet before shooting Flores in the arm.

[BlueTiki]

Santiago . . . Flores . . . sounds like hate crimes.

[Duchess]

I remember when this happened. Poor baby :(

Has it been said where the gunshot residue was found on the parents?

[HairOfTheDog]

^ The legitimate news reports don't specify where the gun powder was found, but based on the CBS report below, I'm inferring that it was on their hands. That's only an inference.

While the fact that Sherry West, the baby's mother, was also shot during her son's killing could explain why residue was found on her, it is unclear how or why the baby's father, Louis Santiago, would have been exposed to gunshot residue.

A conclusion from the state forensic report says, "This supports the possibility that [Louis Santiago] discharged a firearm, was in close proximity to a firearm upon discharge, or came into contact with an item whose surface bears GSR [gunshot residue]."

[username]

That's a really weird story. They had life insurance on their baby?

[HairOfTheDog]

That's a really weird story. They had life insurance on their baby?

Her adult daughter said that Sherry asked her how quickly she would get the life insurance check on the night that Antonio was murdered.

I saw a defense motion doc asking for discovery of any such policies, based on that interview.

Can't find anything that either confirms or refutes that there was any such policy on Antonio's life.

It could be that Sherry West is just one very odd and unlucky lady and the baby's father just happens to be a hotheaded abuser. There seems to be a lot of circumstantial evidence against the teens.

There are so many weird pieces and twists in this story. If the teens, and the teens alone (and maybe members of Elkins' alleged gang) are responsible for the baby's death as part of an attempted robbery only, the crimes of the baby's father and oddities of West's statement are giving the defense some real hole-poking and finger-pointing opportunities.

[HairOfTheDog]

A public defender for De'Marquis Elkins, a Georgia teenager charged with fatally shooting a 13-month-old baby in the face during a street robbery in March, says Elkins did not have gunshot residue on his hands on the day of the killing, CBS affiliate WTEV reports.

Full story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5...rney-says/
============================================

Elkins' attorneys also contend that the revolver his family allegedly through in the river after the killing is not the murder weapon.

There's no way Elkins' attorney could know whether the kid had gunshot residue on his hands the day of the shooting or not.

But, I'm sure police can't prove that Elkins did have gunshot residue on his hands either.

Since the report was released showing that both of Antonio's parents did have gunshot residue on their persons, good ploy by the defense to create reasonable doubt and cast more suspicion onto mom and dad.

Something about this case, aside from the weird parents and the horror of a baby being executed allegedly by teens, really seems off to me.

Trial starts in a couple of weeks; for some reason I'm expecting surprises.

[HairOfTheDog]

Trial starts tomorrow, 8/19.



The execution of a baby is such a sad rarity and the cast of characters in this one, on both the victim's and suspects' sides, is bizarre.

Snip:
MARIETTA, Ga. (CN) - The murder trial of two teenagers (HOTD: both are being tried as adults) accused of shooting a baby to death in a stroller because his mom didn't have any money will begin Monday in Georgia.

A grand jury indicted De'Marquise Elkins, 17, and Dominque Glenn, 15, on 17 counts, including felony murder and aggravated assault. They are accused of shooting to death Antonio Santiago, the 13-month-old son of Sherry West, as she walked him in a stroller.

The trial has been moved from Brunswick, Ga., in Glynn County, where the crimes occurred, to Cobb County, because of pretrial publicity.

http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/08/16/60355.htm

[Jezreel]

I didn't hear about this, but I am extremely out of the loop on the news. The whole story seems very suspicious to me, will be interesting to see what rolls out in court.

[HairOfTheDog]

I didn't hear about this, but I am extremely out of the loop on the news. The whole story seems very suspicious to me, will be interesting to see what rolls out in court.

It is a really strange story, Jezreel. Definitely interested to see what the trial brings forth.

At this point, there's a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing to the boys and I'm inclined to believe that they shot the baby; the baby's mother just happens to be very odd and unstable and the father just happens to be a violent man.

But, the defense is pointing the finger at the parents and their backgrounds aren't gonna help them in court.

Jury selection began this morning. Here's a preview of the defense's case.

SNIP:
Attorneys are set to pin a Georgia mother who witnessed her 13-month-old son heartlessly shot between the eyes as the real killer behind his death.

Defense attorneys say Sherry West had "financial interest in the death of her son," Antonio Santiago, after she took out a life insurance policy before his savage murder in March, according to a pretrial motion.

Defense attorneys have said in court filings that they have audio recordings and documents showing the child's mother had dealings with Gerber Life Insurance Co.

"Other evidence of record suggests Sherry West is mentally unstable, gave several inconsistent accounts of how the crime transpired, and had a financial interest in the death of her son in the form of an insurance policy," public defender Kevin Gough said in a court motion filed Aug. 5.

Defense attorneys additionally point out that small traces of gunshot residue were found on West's hands as well as her husband's.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national...z2cQtU7pSv

[HairOfTheDog]

Day 2 of jury selection underway in Elkins' murder trial; he's the older of the two suspects and is being tried first.

Because he was 17 ys old at the time of Baby Antonio's murder, he is not eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors are going for life in prison.

Word is that his cohort, 15 yr old Lang (also charged with murder) will testify at Elkins' trial.

Lang reportedly admitted to police early on that he was there when the attempted robbery and the murder went down, and says that Elkins shot the baby.

If Lang's accepted a plea and does indeed testify against Elkins, the defense has a huge uphill battle trying to get Elkins off the hook. Nobody else but Sherry West saw the shooter, so Lang is the key.

Ref:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19...78736.html

[username]

Effing weird. The money leads back to the parents. Why would two stupid teens shoot a baby for nothing? Weird/sick.

[HairOfTheDog]

So Lang (15) testified against Elkins (17) yesterday.

IF Lang is telling the truth, wonder why didn't Sherry West didn't just give the thugs her damn purse?

Here's what Lang says went down.

Snip:
Lang said he ran into Elkins that morning, and the older teen asked if he'd ever robbed anyone. Lang said he told Elkins he hadn't. A bit later, as the two were walking side by side down a street, they saw Sherry West down the block with a baby stroller. West and her child were returning home from the post office, authorities have said.

Elkins walked toward West and told her to give him her purse, Lang said. West refused and Elkins repeated his demand several times before pulling out a gun and hitting West in the face with it, Lang said. West still wouldn't give up the purse and tugged back when Elkins reached out and grabbed it, Lang said. Then Elkins threatened the baby, Lang said.

"He was like, `Five, four, three,' and then she stopped him," Lang said.

Elkins asked for the purse again and West refused again, and Elkins began to count down from five again, Lang said. West still refused to give up the purse, and Lang said Elkins walked around the stroller toward her and shot at the ground and then shot West in the leg and asked for the purse again. Lang said he wasn't sure what happened next but said Elkins had been pointing the gun at the baby and Lang heard a third shot. Then both teens took off running.

Ref:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5...testifies/

[HairOfTheDog]

Baby's Mother, Sherry West, Testifies Against Elkins

Snip:
MARIETTA, Ga. — The mother of a baby who was fatally shot in his stroller in coastal Georgia testified at a man's murder trial Tuesday that she threw her arms across her baby in a bid to save him.

Sherry West cried as she told the court what happened as she walked home from the Brunswick post office March 21 with her 13-month-old son, Antonio Santiago. Two teenagers approached her, and the older one demanded money, West testified.

De'Marquise Elkins' attorney, Kevin Gough, asked West about whether she and the baby's father, Louis Santiago, ever regretted having the baby. West said she never regretted having the child, that she and Santiago had been planning to have another. But she acknowledged under questioning by Gough that her relationship with Santiago was troubled.

Gough also repeatedly attacked West's credibility on cross examination.

He asked her several times how she could be certain it was Elkins who shot the baby and asked questions about her interview with police that seemed to indicate she had expressed uncertainty about the shooter's identity to investigators.

Gough also asked West about medications she takes for various conditions, including bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia. He had her look at a list of side effects of her medications, including memory problems, hallucinations, delusions and impaired vision. He asked several times whether it was possible she was suffering from a psychotic episode during questioning by police.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/27...24571.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm convinced that Elkins is the one who shot and killed little Antonio, and feel badly for Sherry West (although she's quite strange).

Why the hell she didn't just give Elkins her damn purse when he pulled a gun, or when he fired a warning shot, or when he shot her in the leg...is something that I don't understand.

If I had a child with me (and probably even if I didn't), I'd hand over the purse at least when the first bullet was shot.

Anyway, West is expected to continue her testimony today.

[HairOfTheDog]

The Insurance, The Dysfunction, The Misery...

So, Ashley Glassey, the 21 year-old daughter of Sherry West, testified this week about how her mom's story didn't add up and how she'd called police about it.

Ashley Glassey (let out of jail on shoplifting charges so she could testify for the defense in Elkins' murder trial)

When she didn't get a call back, she contacted the media. Her mom, who lost custody of Ashley and her brother when Ashley was 8 ys old, no longer speaks to her. Ashley cried throughout her testimony.

It was confirmed in court this week that Sherry West had purchased life insurance on baby Antonio and had collected on the policy (Gerber Life). Sherry said she got it because Antonio was sick and someone in the hospital recommended it.


Sherry West testifies in Elkins' murder trial

Though Sherry West claimed in a media interview that she thought the murder of her older son and Antonio were linked, nothing to that effect has been presented at trial (that I've seen reported).

Sherry's 18 year old son, Ashley's brother, was killed several years ago; LE claims that he was part of a group who planned to ambush someone. He was armed with a steak knife, which the victim got away from him and then used to stab the 18 year old to death.

As the World Turns...

[HairOfTheDog]

Elkins found guilty

(On Friday, 8/30/13) Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding De'Marquise Elkins guilty of 11 counts, including two counts of felony murder and one count of malice murder in the March 21 killing of 13-month-old Antonio Santiago in Brunswick.

The man's mother, Karimah Elkins, was on trial alongside him and was found guilty of tampering with evidence but acquitted of lying to police.

De'Marquise Elkins faces life in prison when he is sentenced at a later date. At the time of the shooting he was 17, too young to face the death penalty under Georgia law.

His lead defense attorney, public defender Kevin Gough, vowed to appeal the verdict. A judge denied his request for the teen to be out on bond during the appeal.

"Marky Elkins and his family are confident that he will receive another trial in which he will be able to present fully his defense," Gough said. "Mr. Elkins will eventually be exonerated."

Full story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30...45378.html

[HairOfTheDog]

Elkins was sentenced to life without parole yesterday. Good.

Since he was too young to be legally eligible for the death penalty, it was the harshest sentence possible.