Santos Tomas Vasquez was found guilty of Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Armed Robbery on August 30 by a Cobb County jury after a three-week trial.
Cobb Superior Court Judge Ann B. Harris then sentenced Vasquez to life in prison
The public information release from Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. described the incident leading to the conviction and sentencing as follows:
In July of 2018, Vasquez and his three codefendants – Dorian Acosta, Anthony Lopez, and Fredy Jimenez – concocted a plan to murder Vasquez’s roommate, Andres Meza Munguia. Vasquez hosted multiple meetups with his codefendants in the days leading up to Munguia’s planned execution. In the early morning hours of July 29, 2018, Vasquez and Jimenez drove Acosta and Lopez to the residence to commit the murder. Jimenez opened the door for Acosta and Lopez, who then carried out the hit while the victim was fast asleep on the couch. All four defendants fled the scene. Vasquez and Jimenez waited over an hour before returning to the residence for “the discovery.” Vasquez called police and claimed he had no idea what had occurred. The Cobb County Police Department investigated the case along with the assistance of the U.S Department of Homeland Security.
In 2022, Acosta, Lopez, and Jimenez entered guilty pleas in the case. During Vasquez’s trial, the jury heard testimony from law enforcement and from Vasquez’s three codefendants, whose testimony was corroborated by cell tower data, cell phone records, cell phone extraction evidence, and surveillance video.
According to the public information release the District Attorney’s trial team included Senior Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Green, Assistant District Attorney Jared Horowitz, Deputy Chief Investigator E. Stockinger, Investigator A. Allen, Victim Advocate Cindy Bard, and Legal Assistant Kayla Willis.
Vasquez was certified as indigent by the court, and Marietta Attorney Carlos Rodriguez was appointed to represent him. The co-conspirators, who entered guilty pleas earlier, were each represented by different attorneys.
“The jury returned a verdict that spoke the truth – that this Defendant was the ringleader behind this heinous murder. He took advantage of and manipulated his codefendants to slaughter a man for reasons that will never be understood,” said Green.
