COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County man was sentenced to life in prison, the district attorney announced on Thursday, after being found guilty of plotting his roommate's murder and then calling 911 when he "discovered" him dead.
Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. said in a release that Santos Tomas Vasquez had been found guilty after a three-week trial of malice murder and three other charges.
According to Broady, Vasquez and three others plotted the murder of Vasquez's roommate Andres Meza Munguia for several days in July 2018.
The plot culminated with the early-morning murder on July 29, 2018.
Vasquez and another conspirator, Fredy Jimenez, drove the two others - Dorian Acosta and Anthony Lopez - to the residence where Munguia was sleeping.
Broady's release described how the murder was carried out from there:
"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 release said.
Earlier this year, Jimenez, Acosta and Lopez all pleaded guilty and later testified against Vasquez at the trial. Broady said their testimony was corroborated by "cell tower data, cell phone records, cell phone extraction evidence and surveillance video."
“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 Senior Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Green, who prosecuted the case.
