RIP Did You Know ... Gone Too Soon!

Merlin Santana was born in New York to parents from the Dominican Republic. His career in show business began with a push from his mother, who recognized her son’s talent and wanted to keep him off the tough streets of New York. Her instinct was right, and Santana has been working steadily ever since. He began his career at the age of 3 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". He later landed the recurring role of Stanley, the faithful admirer of young Rudy Huxtable, on the hit comedy series "The Cosby Show". Santana was then cast as a sharp-tongued 15-year-old in the comedy series "Getting By", starring Cindy Williams and Telma Hopkins. His other television credits include the dramatic PBS special "Harambee" and guest appearances on series such as "NYPD Blue", "Law & Order", "Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper", "Moesha", "Sister, Sister" and "Major Dad". He additionally appeared on the popular daytime dramas "All My Children" and "As the World Turns". In the critically acclaimed family drama series "Under One Roof", Santana starred opposite James Earl Jones, who played the surrogate father of Santana’s character. . He has recorded three rap albums that have not been released. . Appeared in the 1999 Alaye calendar. . Nominated for two NAACP Image Awards as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2001 & 2002) for his work on The Steve Harvey Show. . Nominated for two ALMA Awards as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (1998 & 1999) for his work on The Steve Harvey Show.

He chose to keep his last name of Santana to represent his AfoLatino heritage. In one episode of The Steve Harvey show marked the first time when Afro-Latinos communicated in Spanish on a commercial network. The episode was about Romeo being taken out of school by his father.
On November 9, 2002 at 2:30 AM. Merlin was sitting in a park car and a person appraoched the car and shot him (6 times according to one source). He was DOA before help could come to his aid. The public did not find out until Monday morning. A woman was arrested early on Monday for possible connections to the murder. She was later charged and the police are currently looking for two men. He was buried 11-18-2002 and leaves behind a 7 year old daughter. AllHIPHOP.com features a story that may have lead to his death. It is believed the young girl set him up to be robbed, but the end result was Merlin's death.

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March 16, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of Communications
Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Jane Robison, News Secretary
(213) 974-3525
LOS ANGELES – A teenage girl was convicted of murder and attempted murder today in the fatal shooting a year and a half ago of actor Merlin Santana, the District Attorney’s office announced today.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler, who conducted the court trial of 17-year-old Monique King, returned the verdicts after an in-depth recitation of his reasoning in reaching the decisions that he did in the case.
King’s trial started out before a jury more than two weeks ago, but early in the trial, a decision was made to have the judge hear the evidence and the jury was excused. As part of that decision, Fidler said, it was agreed that the defendant be sentenced as a juvenile. She was 15 at the time of the murder and originally charged as a juvenile. The juvenile court determined she was unfit to be tried there and the case was transferred to adult court.
Fidler convicted King of one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. He also found true the allegation that a principal was armed during commission of the crime. He acquitted the defendant of two counts added after the trial began – accessory after the fact and conspiracy to shoot into an occupied building.
King’s sentencing was scheduled for April 20. Deputy District Attorney Greg Dohi, who successfully prosecuted all three defendants, said King could be sentenced to the California Youth Authority, where she could be held until she is 25.
Fidler noted that evidence at King’s trial showed the young woman went to co-defendants Damien Andre Gates, 21, and Brandon Douglas Bynes, 25, and lied to them, saying Santana attempted to rape her. Testimony indicated that the defendant’s story "threw Mr. Gates into a fury for whatever reason," the judge said. Gates armed himself with a handgun and rifle, and with Bynes and King, went to find Santana and the victim’s friend.
The judge determined that King aided and abetted the crimes, noting that she knew there was going to be a shooting and she got behind the wheel and drove the other defendants to safety after Santana was killed.
"…Even a 15-year-old knows that if you take a gun and shoot at somebody…somebody is going to get hit, somebody is going to die," Fidler said.
Gates was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder by a jury. Fidler sentenced him last month to three consecutive life sentences, plus 70 years. Bynes pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon. He testified against his co-defendants and March 11, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy-Powell to an agreed-upon 23-year term.

** I created this weekly tribute dedicated to the stars who for one reason or another did not receive the send off through the media that they deserved. Please join me every Tuesday as I continue to celebrate 'LIFE'. People will live on as long as we remember them. Thank you Merlin Santana for your contribution to this world and through your artistry, you will live on forever. kk **