2 Men Enter Not-Guilty Plea in Actor’s Killing
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From Times Staff Reports
Two men pleaded not guilty Friday to the killing of actor Merlin Santana.
Damien Andre Gates, 21, and Brandon Douglas Bynes, 24, were arraigned on charges of murder and attempted murder.
Santana, 26, was best known for his role as Romeo Santana on “The Steve Harvey Show.” He was shot Nov. 9 as he sat in a car with a friend on Victoria Avenue in South Los Angeles.
Police said a teenage girl told Gates and Bynes that Santana and his friend had tried to rape her, but later she told police she had lied.
She faces murder charges in juvenile court.
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