Teen Girl Sentenced in TV Actor’s Slaying
A Superior Court judge sentenced a 17-year-old girl Tuesday to the California Youth Authority for the slaying of actor Merlin Santana.
Monique King, who was tried as an adult, will be released at age 25. She could have been sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
She was 15 when she told Damien Andre Gates, 22, and Brandon Douglas Bynes, 23, that Santana had raped her. They found Santana in South Los Angeles, and Gates fatally shot him. King later admitted she had lied about the rape. Gates was sentenced to 70 years to life and Bynes to 23 years.
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