Phoenix police looking for suspects in 2012 death of young man at club
May 10, 2021, 10:15 AM | Updated: 10:45 am
(Pixabay Photo)
This article originally appeared April 25, 2016.
Kim Peterson said her son, 22-year-old David Santiago, was 100% into skateboarding.
“And girls,” she chuckled.
Peterson said Santiago was so good at skateboarding that he had sponsors looking at him.
In the wee hours of Sunday, about 1 a.m., on Nov. 25, 2012, Santiago was at a club called The Stratus.
It’s in an industrial area east of Interstate 17 and north of McDowell Road. The club plays electronic music and hosts large parties.
Phoenix Police cold case Detective J.J. Alberta said there were as many as 1,500 people at the club that night.
“Witnesses saw [Santiago] arguing with at least two men and possibly a woman,” Albert said. “One suspect hit [Santiago] in the face and knocked him down. A second suspect stomped on his head once or twice.”
Santiago died 10 days later.
Peterson said Santiago wasn’t someone to pick a fight.
“He hated people to argue and fight, so he was always trying to make them in a better mood,” she said. “He was always helping out elderly people with housework or yard stuff.”
Santiago was the baby of the family and a total mama’s boy. Kim laughs that she never thought he’d move out and that he’d probably get married and bring his wife home to live with her, too.
She wants his killers caught.
“Even if it was an accident, they need to be brought to justice,” Peterson said. “But, I don’t see it being an accident when you beat a man to death.”
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