Crime & Safety
Slayer Dies In Prison; Arsonist Sought: Escondido, S.D. Co. Crime Log
Neurosurgeon sentenced, soccer star jailed for smuggling try, mini-mart worker shot and other police news this week from San Diego County.
![Richard Gonzales Samayoa, 69, convicted of bludgeoning a neighbor and her toddler daughter in 1988 in San Diego County, was found dead at San Quentin State Prison.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/22511888/20221209/084036/styles/patch_image/public/77___09202921168.jpg)
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — The following is a collection of police and courtroom stories from this week across San Diego County.
Death Row Inmate Who Killed Otay Mesa Woman & Toddler Dies In Prison
- Richard Gonzales Samayoa, 69, was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead at San Quentin State Prison, officials said.
Trial Opens For North County Designer Accused Of Killing Stepdad
Find out what's happening in Escondidowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Prosecutors contend Thomas Merriman, co-founder of Encinitas-based nonprofit Butterfly Farms, was drugged and murdered by Jade Sasha Janks.
San Diego Neurosurgeon Sentenced In $3.3M Bribery Case
- Lokesh Tantuwaya, 55, took bribes for performing spinal surgeries at a now-defunct Long Beach hospital, officials said.
Find out what's happening in Escondidowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- The employee was using a stick in an attempt to chase the armed pair out of an ampm when he was shot, police said.
Shooting By San Diego Police Leaves Gun-Wielding Man Dead
- The man - reported by a caller as possibly suicidal - led cops on a foot-chase in the Teralta West-area neighborhood, officials said.
- The 55-year-old man died after colliding with another vehicle on Torrey Pines Road, officials said.
No Charges Planned For SDSU Football Players In Alleged Gang Rape
- San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced its decision to not file criminal charges in case stemming from an off-campus party.
- The arsonist was caught on surveillance video piling up material & setting it ablaze near Kiva Learning Center for Women & Children.
Ex-Tijuana Soccer Player Sentenced For Smuggling Attempt Of 2 Women
- Raul Enriquez-Arambula, 37, was sentenced to time served for hiding two undocumented women in his vehicle at Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
Woman Killed In Crash After Car Hits Tree On Lakeside Road
- The person's vehicle went off a roadway, hit a tree and caught fire, CHP said.
2 Boys On Bikes Hit By Car, Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries In S.D.
- The accident was reported Sunday evening in the Nestor neighborhood.
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