Man accused in 1994 triple stabbing deaths goes to trial in El Paso

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- The trial of a man accused of stabbing three people to death nearly three decades ago is set to begin Monday.

Prosecutors say the victims, 59-year-old Francisco Santoni, his 28-year-old girlfriend Connie Villa and her 3-year-old son, Dante Santoni, were killed inside their home in the 1800 block of Garden Gate Way on Aug. 11, 1994.

At the time, El Paso Police described a violent crime scene. Crimes Against Persons Lt. Paul Saucedo told ABC-7 there were “signs of struggle” and that the house appeared to have been ransacked.

The case went unsolved for more than 20 years. In 2015, authorities arrested Arturo Ortega Garcia in Mexico City in connection with the killings. He was extradited to El Paso in 2022.

Investigators say DNA evidence collected from Villa’s fingernails matched Garcia, linking him to the crime scene.

Garcia is not facing the death penalty. Under the extradition agreement between the United States and Mexico, individuals extradited from Mexico cannot be sentenced to death.

Garcia is charged with three counts of murder.