Annapolis, Maryland – Alexander Salinas, 21, was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his friend, Luis Angel Meza-Santiago, outside a restaurant in Edgewater in 2022. The sentence was announced by Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess.
Salinas was convicted of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a crime of violence after pleading guilty in May 2024. While Maryland Sentencing Guidelines recommend a sentence ranging from 18 to 30 years for second-degree murder and 8 to 15 years for the firearm offense, the prosecution sought a much stiffer sentence of 60 years, with all but 45 years suspended, and the first five years served without the possibility of parole.
On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Morris sentenced Salinas to 40 years in prison, with all but 15 years suspended. Upon his release, Salinas will be subject to five years of supervised probation.
“The Defendant fired a shot at a group of individuals with the intent to kill or severely injure someone and ended up killing his friend instead. This was senseless gun violence, and the victim’s life was taken away by this impulsive act,” said Leitess. “Luis was a loving son, nephew, brother, and the father of a young child. His family is devastated by their loss.”
The shooting occurred on the night of December 3, 2022, at the Los Chaparritos restaurant in Edgewater, Maryland. According to police reports, officers were called to the restaurant shortly after midnight, where they found Meza-Santiago, 26, unresponsive in the parking lot with a small group gathered around him. Meza-Santiago was quickly transported to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
A police search of the surrounding area, with the help of K9 units and aerial support, eventually led to the identification of Salinas as the suspect. Authorities were alerted to Salinas after witnesses described a man who was behaving loudly and disruptively at the scene. Salinas had returned to the area after initially leaving following the shooting.
Investigators determined that Meza-Santiago and Salinas had arrived at Los Chaparritos together earlier in the evening. They were seen sitting near a large party inside the restaurant, but at some point, the group moved outside. Surveillance footage from the restaurant showed Salinas exiting the building, pulling out a firearm, and firing a single shot toward the group. Meza-Santiago was struck and immediately collapsed.
In the chaotic moments after the shooting, Salinas was subdued by bystanders. The surveillance video showed the firearm changing hands multiple times after the shooting, and authorities were unable to recover the weapon.
Salinas was arrested at the scene and later gave conflicting statements to police during his interrogation. He eventually admitted to unintentionally shooting Meza-Santiago, but his conflicting accounts complicated the investigation.
Salinas entered a guilty plea on May 30, 2024, to charges of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in a violent crime. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Marot Williamson and Alessandro Pacheco, with Judge Morris presiding.
Meza-Santiago’s death has left a deep impact on his family, especially as he was a father to a young child. Leitess emphasized that the act of violence had devastating consequences not only for the victim’s family but for the entire community.
