Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Fatal Fence Feud’ of ‘Vengeance: Killer Neighbors,’ we get to explore the bad blood between two neighbors — the Traceys and the Davises — that led to the death of Anthony Jay Davis by the hand of Lonnie Paul Tracey. It delves into the detailed account of the animosity between the two neighbors that even a giant barricade between their houses could not prevent the ill-fated death of Anthony. Covering the investigation that followed, the episode even provides us with interviews with the loved ones of the victim.
Who is Lonnie Paul Tracey?
Born around 1960, Lonnie Paul Tracey lived with his wife, Sandra Tracey, in a property on Calypso Lane in Santa Clarita’s Canyon Country, accompanied by their cats. Living next door to them were the Davis, with whom the Traceys stood a long-standing beef. Anthony Jay Davis and his wife, Cindy Davis, weren’t exactly fans of their neighbors as they regularly used to call officials to complain about the noise, posted rude signs about the Davises, and directed lights toward their security cameras. The Davis family was reportedly subjected to various acts of vandalism, such as damage to their cars, which they claimed was done by the Traceys.
Things got so heated between them that the two families obtained a restraining order against each other. Their feud escalated further when Lonnie installed infrared lights on his property and allegedly used them to disrupt the Davis’ camera system and disturb them. Then, in the early hours of September 24, 2011, around 3 am, Anthony went over to his next-door neighbors to tell them to turn off their disturbing lights. Just a few minutes later, Anthony’s wife Cindy heard a couple of consecutive gunshots and ran straight towards the residence of the Traceys.
Cindy found her husband lying on his back with gunshot wounds in his chest area. While she was down on the floor with Anthony, Lonnie emerged from the front door and pointed a shotgun at her, telling her to get away. While she called 911, one of the neighbors, Nichole Soto, started to perform CPR on an unconscious Anthony as more neighbors gathered around the horrifying crime scene. Soto later stated, “My mother heard shots and then she heard the victim’s wife screaming that he was dead and my mother ran out of the house and saw him and come back and got me.”
When the police arrived at the scene, they found several neighbors crowding over Anthony while telling them that the perpetrator was inside the house. The officers moved the victim’s body and surrounded the property to contain the perimeter. Denying to comply at first, it took several tries and warnings for the lead officer to enter the property of the culprit. When he was told to lie face down on the ground with his hands on his head, Lonnie refused to do as ordered. When the officer warned Lonnie that he might have to use deadly force to make him comply, he finally did what he was asked to do. Finally, Lonnie was arrested and charged with the murder of Anthony Jay Davis and kept in custody until his hearing.
Lonnie Paul Tracey is Behind Bars Today
The trial in the murder case of Anthony Jay Davis commenced in October 2012. After enough deliberation by the jury, Lonnie Paul Tracey was found guilty of the charges of first-degree murder and assault with a firearm. In May 2013, the Canyon Country resident was sentenced to a prison term of 64 years to life. As per court records, his sentence comprised 25 years to life for Anthony’s murder and 39 years (25+4+10) for the charges related to the firearm assault. He was ordered to serve all his sentences consecutively. Since Lonnie had already spent 593 days in custody; the same was waived off from his total sentence.
As per the sentencing guidelines mandate of the Bear State, individuals who commit violent and heinous crimes won’t be eligible for parole unless they serve about 85% of their total prison term. This indicates Lonnie could only apply for release on parole after living behind bars for 54 years. However, just a few years into his sentence, in January 2018, Lonnie filed two motions, titled “Motion for Modification of Sentence,” representing himself in the superior court of law without the presence of an attorney. One was a request for a “$5,000 restitution fine,” while the second motion asked for a “$39,585.49 victim restitution order.”
Though Lonnie was hoping for a modification in his sentence, the trial court didn’t rule in his favor by denying both motions a month later. He filed an appeal notice against the denial in March 2018, but the developments don’t seem to favor him. Per prison records, Lonnie, who is 63 years old as of writing, is currently serving his sentence in California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo County, California, and would be eligible for parole in September 2036.
Read More: Cody Johnson Murder: Where Is Jordan Linn Graham Now?
