Ron Dolph Tutay sentenced to 50 years to life for the 2022 first-degree murder of Gerald Williams
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – On Monday, Ron Dolph Tutay was sentenced to 50 years to life for the first degree murder of Gerald Williams in July of 2022.
On July 2, 2022, Gerald Williams was walking down the sidewalk in the 200 block of East Main Street in Santa Maria when Tutay shot him in the back stated a press release Monday from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
During the months-long trial, evidence was presented to the jury establishing that Tutay had been waiting on the sidewalk the day of the murder for over an hour before shooting Williams in the back at a distance of 34 feet detailed the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
Santa Maria Police Department officers responded to the shooting and despite life-saving attempts, Williams died from his injuries at the scene shared the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, investigators discovered a single spent cartridge casing on a sidewalk a few feet from where Tutay had been sitting.
Tutay was contacted during the investigation and eventually, he was arrested and a search was conducted of his belongings in connection with the murder stated the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
During a search of Tutay's suitcase, law enforcement officers located a loaded semi-automatic handgun which was used in the murder noted the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
Williams and Tutay did not know each other and Tutay referred to Williams after his arrest for the murder using racial slurs and suggesting that Williams' death was a good thing.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office explained the Gerald Williams was a black man and a veteran of the United States Navy.
On Oct. 10, 2024, after several days of deliberations, Tutay was found guilty of murder in the first degree with the personal use of a firearm causing death stated the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Dunkle sentenced Tutay to 50 years to life in state prison, the maximum allowable sentence under the law, on March 3, 2025, noted the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
"Because of Mr. Tutay’s actions, this country lost a patriot, two children lost a father, and this community lost a friend," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Austin Ingalls at Monday's sentencing hearing. "It is time Mr. Tutay be held accountable for the first-degree murder he committed on July 2, 2022. Mr. Williams, this community, and public safety demand that this reprehensible conduct result in the maximum allowable sentence under the law."
