Merlin Santana was shot and killed by Damien Andre Gates on November 9, 2002, in South Los Angeles. Gates, then 19, fired a single bullet into a parked car on Victoria Avenue, striking the 26-year-old actor in the head. Two other people were convicted alongside him: Brandon Douglas Bynes, who drove the car Gates fired from, and Monique King, a 15-year-old whose false accusation against Santana set the killing in motion.
What Happened on Victoria Avenue
On the morning of November 9, 2002, Santana was in a parked car in the 3800 block of Victoria Avenue near the Crenshaw District. His friend Brandon Quintin Adams, an actor known for “The Sandlot” and “The Mighty Ducks,” was in the driver’s seat. The two had just left an acquaintance’s home.
A single shot was fired from outside the vehicle. The bullet passed through the trunk and the front passenger headrest before hitting Santana in the head. Adams was not struck. He drove roughly half a mile to Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards and flagged down two police officers. Paramedics pronounced Santana dead at the scene.
Why Santana Was Killed
The motive was a lie. Monique King, 15 at the time, had falsely accused Santana of making unwanted sexual advances toward her. By some accounts the accusation was specifically one of rape. There was no evidence to support what she said. The claim was enough to provoke Gates and Bynes, who drove to the location where Santana was parked so Gates could fire the shot.
The killing was not a robbery or a random act. It was a deliberate response to a fabricated story told by a teenager.
The Convictions and Sentences
All three were arrested and charged. Their outcomes varied sharply based on their roles.
Damien Andre Gates
Gates was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Santana and attempted murder for endangering Adams. In February 2004 he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus 70 years. The length reflects California’s firearm enhancements under Penal Code Section 12022.53, which add mandatory consecutive prison time when a defendant personally fires a gun during a serious felony and causes death.1California Legislative Information. California Penal Code PEN 12022.53
Brandon Douglas Bynes
Bynes drove the car Gates fired from. He entered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. His earliest release would fall around 2026 or 2027, depending on credits earned.
Monique King
Prosecutors tried King as an adult given the severity of what her false accusation had triggered. Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler presided. She was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder. Rather than adult prison, she was committed to the California Youth Authority until she turned 25, a term that would have ended around 2012.
Gates Was Granted Parole in 2024
More than two decades after the shooting, the case is not entirely closed. Gates appeared before California’s Board of Parole Hearings for an initial suitability hearing on September 6, 2023, and the panel granted parole.2California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Suitability Hearing Results – Week of Sept 4 – Sept 8, 2023 Because Gates was serving a life sentence, the governor could refer the decision to the full Board for review under California Penal Code Section 3041.1. That referral happened, and on February 22, 2024, the Board voted to affirm the parole grant. It also imposed a special condition barring Gates from contacting his crime partner without prior written approval from a parole agent.3California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. En Banc Decisions February 22, 2024
The affirmation means Gates became eligible for release after serving roughly 21 years. Parole suitability does not always mean immediate release; administrative processing, housing placement, and other conditions can delay the actual date a person leaves custody. Public records on the current statuses of Bynes and King are limited.
Who Merlin Santana Was
Santana was born on March 14, 1976, in New York City to parents who had immigrated from the Dominican Republic. He built a steady television career through the 1990s: a recurring role as Stanley, Rudy Huxtable’s boyfriend, on “The Cosby Show”; Romeo on “The Steve Harvey Show”; Ohagi on the UPN sitcom “Moesha”; and Marcus Dixon in “Getting By.” One film, “The Blues,” was released posthumously in 2003. He was 26 when he was killed.