A Fatal Rejection - The Story Of Merlin Santana

foreign [Music] what you're watching right now are scenes taken from sitcoms The Steve Harvey Show and The Cosby Show both feature a rising star from New York City whose talents would get them recognition and take him as far as he wanted to go his name was Merlin Santana from the upper west side of New York City his name was quickly becoming known and the Future Stars many talents were beginning to truly shine but one day without anyone suspecting it Merlin's life would be cut short when he became the center of a Revenge plot that he had nothing to do with whenever you hear stories about people making it out of the hood and becoming successful as something bigger than themselves for most of us it's a great feeling it gives us that feeling that if they can do it so can I I can make it out too for me I think about names like the Wayans brothers who grew up in the projects down in Chelsea they became hugely successful and they brought the whole family along for the ride Jordan peel is one of the most successful and respected directors in the game right now and he was raised on the Upper West Side by a single mom and he made it out a long list of musical acts from Jay-Z to cardi B from Brooklyn to the Bronx have all made it out the hood and achieved Mass success but there's also a very long list of those who did everything they could to make it out and not get caught up somehow the harsh code of the streets still take them under anyway today on evil intentions the story of Merlin Santana friends [Music] [Music] Merlin Santana was born on March 14 1976 in New York City Merlin was born to his mother a Woman by the name of Leia Santana a Dominican native from the moment that Merlin was about to be born life would immediately throw a curveball at Leia who was told by doctors that if Merlin was born it would be a true Miracle Leia had complications with birth giving Merlin a 50-50 chance of surviving which of course was just about the scariest thing that a parent can hear but Merlin pulled through and beat those odds Leia wanted to find a name that really represented her child and his battle to survive she would name him Merlin as in Merlin the magician one of King Arthur's Wizards and he'd often introduce himself to people as this Leia felt this name fit her child perfectly because it was sort of like magic Merlin was her Miracle child Merlin was described as a very funny and charismatic little boy as far back as anyone can remember he was always known for making jokes and making people laugh Merlin's personality was as bright as could be and for people who are on the hunt for Talon it was very easy to see that Merlin had something special special about him when he was just three years old Marlon and his mother were out one day when by chance they came across a talent scout and a conversation started he noticed Merlin's Charisma he strongly felt that to some capacity Merlin belonged on TV on the big screen so he would suggest that Merlin's mother tried getting him into the fast-paced world of Show Business the talent scout would suggest that Leia take Merlin to an audition for a fast food campaign that was happening soon Merlin landed the job and here started his love and passion for the big screen having started out young the world of acting was an open playing field for Merlin and he had a major advantage over others who were on the same path as him Merlin was bilingual speaking both English and Spanish make it for more opportunities when it came to castings once Merlin landed that fast food ad commercial things never quite slowed down and he was well on his way to stardom the neighborhood Merlin grew up in around the Upper West Side was well known for being an area where pretty much anything can happen anything from gang violence to drug dealing to drug abuse all very common especially in the 80s and 90s Merlin attended Ascension school on upper Manhattan's 108th Street where he would make a ton of friends and everyone knew him but being in a neighborhood with a reputation acting from Merlin was a way to keep him out of trouble and not land him in situations where the environment around him could send him down the wrong path definitely not an easy task as someone who grew up in the same neighborhood as Merlin and who still has family and friends there I can tell you from personal experience that this area of the Upper West Side wasn't always so calm in the 90s drug Wars ran rapid between rival Crews the neighborhood often had curfews due to the violence and at the root of it all was money power and respect she had her work cut out for her but Merlin's mother knew her son had a gift and she was determined to see Merlin succeed and not become a statistic in 1990 Merlin's life would be forever changed when he was casted in a play called Hey Little Walter now he didn't know it at this point but this one gig would change things forever sitting in the crowd on one of the nights that Merlin performed was Bill Cosby he was so impressed by Merlin's performance and portrayal of this character that Cosby would end up having them write a new character into the immensely popular Cosby Show Merlin would portray the lovable and funny Stanley Rudy huxtable's boyfriend once Merlin landed this gig his career took off with no signs of slowing down once The Cosby Show was coming to an end Merlin was immediately casted in another TV sitcom called getting by he was casted alongside Dion Richmond another child star and friend of Merlin's and also a New York native who grew up in the Harlem Section of New York the two of them had great chemistry on screen and they knew each other for a while from their time on The Cosby Show getting by would air between March of 1993 and June of 1994 when it was canceled some time later Merlin would make a move from New York City to Los Angeles at the age of only 19. he was well on his way he was very much focused and decided he would spend his time in North Hollywood laying low-key in the San Fernando Valley he was excited to be pursuing dreams and living on his own he would keep in touch with family and friends constantly and work continue to flow in from Merlin and in 1996 he would land yet another pivotal role for his career when he was casted as Romeo Santana and the immensely popular Steve Harvey Show Now While others in the spotlight and in positions like Merlin's battled certain demons that came with stardom Merlin always stood clear the threats he stood away from drugs he kept focus and by the time his career was flourishing Merlin would start to take the steps to also starting a music career he was also a talented rapper and he had the image and popularity that would eventually come with that role it was even said that Merlin might have had a good amount of music that never saw the light of day he took music just as serious as he did acting during his time on the Steve Harvey Show Merlin would portray Romeo a student at Booker T Washington High School on Chicago's West Side he was a smooth talking Playboy who had a great reputation with the ladies although a sitcom in the show Merlin would display a wide variety of talents showing how good of an actor he was when it came to Serious roles as well as comedy the character Romeo would begin to blend with the real-life Merlin who was becoming an even bigger Ladies Man on and off the screen he was starting to get recognized on the streets his hard work and all those years on screen was paying off and the sky was the limit for him he was already getting famous starring in movie roles alongside Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro but still he never forgot where he came from although he was already getting money and living his dream he could often be seen on his old block of 107th and Manhattan Avenue riding a motorcycle around and being among the peers he grew up with he was as down to earth as they came over the course of his career Merlin would also make appearances on shows like Moesha Sister Sister Hanging with Mr Cooper and Under One Roof just to name a few don't you play the rat unless you want to wind up in a sewer like one you know what I'm saying yeah I know what you're saying good I know exactly hold on a minute yeah I act like you know when did you learn to talk like that my mom's she was Dominican the future was very bright for Merlin he knew it and everybody else around him knew it but unfortunately when you're an up-and-coming star from a certain background you can't ever be too sure if the intentions of those around you are pure Merlin's accolades were beginning to pile up receiving nominations from the NAACP image Awards as well as the ALMA Awards an award ceremony that honors Latinos in the industry but on the evening of Friday November 8 2002 a certain set of events would unfold resulting in the young star's tragic passing and nobody saw it coming on this day Merlin was spending the night recording music at a friend's home in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles California he was accompanied by one of his best friends another talented actor by the name of Brandon Quentin Adams known for his work on cult classics The People Under the Stairs and bigger movies like The Sandlot and also for portraying the kid version of Michael Jackson in the Mini version of bad he would also go on a star in other popular shows like the Fresh Prince Moesha sister sister and many others Merlin had originally made plans to go back home to New York City so that he could visit friends and family he wasn't even supposed to be in Los Angeles this week but he would remain in Los Angeles longer than he was supposed to because of a last-minute audition for a new TV show he changed his plans in his trip to New York never happened later that evening around midnight Merlin would make a call to a woman who went by the name of Mercedes Mercedes was someone Merlin and Brandon met some time before at a Chinese restaurant in La the woman introduced herself and she knew she wrecked organized him from The Steve Harvey Show Merlin was flattered and happy to be recognized as anyone would be he was living out his dream and people were starting to take notice according to sources the two would then end up having a perfectly consensual night together and all seemed to be normal he made that call to Mercedes and asked her if she wanted to hang out with him and a few of his friends which she was fine with but when she got there things seemed very off Brandon would notice that Mercedes seemed out of sorts and very much nervous to be in the home she could be seen walking about the home and acting strangely she did this for a short while and then made a phone call before abruptly saying that she needed to go as she walked out of the home Brandon would watch her make her way out and when he came to the front of the house he could see Mercedes getting to a large vehicle with two men inside the same two men who had dropped her off at the home to begin with even though Marilyn and Brandon didn't know that the vehicle would drive off for a few blocks and then stopped Brandon had a strong feeling that in reality Mercedes was just casing the home and maybe it was best of him and Merlin made their way out because things just didn't feel right the two would approach their vehicle to leave the area but when they got inside the car the situation would quickly escalate from a suspicion of a setup to a full-blown attack Brandon would be in the driver's seat and Merlin in the passenger side when Brandon looked at the side mirror and saw a red laser as he looked closer he could see two men running toward their car both armed with guns Brandon would yell from Merlin to duck before pulling off as fast as he could but as he did that the two men would begin the fire the chaotic scene lasted nothing but a few seconds but those few seconds were enough to change everything forever as one of the men shot toward the vehicle one of the bullets would enter through the car's trunk the trajectory of the bullet would go through the passenger side sea and strike Merlin in the back of the head killing him instantly Brandon will look over and see Merlin slumped forward as he yelled his name hoping that the injury wasn't as bad as it seemed hoping that Merlin would say something but Merlin was unresponsive as he bled profusely from his head indicating that this was much worse branding would flag down a patrol car that happened to be passing by them and told them what happened but it was too late Merlin was gone the only question was why as police and EMS combed through the vehicle Merlin was killed in they'd find his cell phone and began to investigate who he last spoke to Brandon would tell authorities about Merlin's call to Mercedes and how strangely she had been behaving so the cops thought of an idea they had Brandon make a call to Mercedes where he would ask her to meet him at a restaurant she would agree to meet which was very surprising but when she did officers were there waiting to take her in for questioning it was here that authorities would learn the true reason behind Merlin's death according to reports it was said that Mercedes whose real name was Monique King had spoken to Merlin on one occasion after they hooked up she wanted more of a relationship with Merlin as where he was constantly on the move and not looking for anything very serious she became highly upset at this and would go back to two men 21 year old Damian Andre Gates said by some to be Mercedes boyfriend and 25 year old Brandon Douglas Bynes she would tell the two men that Merlin and her were together but it was against her will because Merlin forced himself on her and violated her the two men seeked revenge for Monique it was later learned that she had also told Marilyn that she was of legal age but in actuality this entire plan the vicious lie that led to the death of the talented young man all came from the mind of a 15 year old girl at first when questioned Monique argued that she did nothing wrong and had nothing to say until one officer would let her know that she could either be a suspect or be a witness to what happened seeing as how nobody else saw what happened after hours of questioning she herself admitted to lying to these men and having Merlin killed the two men took her word and followed through with the murder of someone who did absolutely nothing to deserve it a massive Talent taken much too soon and all because of a girl who couldn't handle rejection and two men who were stupid enough to believe her lies throwing their own lives away in the process Brandon Douglas Bynes was sentenced to 23 years for his role in the death of Merlin Santana Damian Gates the man responsible for the shot that killed Merlin was sentenced to 70 years to life in prison Monique King whom Lida set the whole thing up was a juvenile and tried as an adult but being tried as an adult really didn't mean too much since she would only be sentenced to the California Youth Authority a place for young offenders to be released at the young age of just 25 years old meaning she could come out and live a somewhat normal life at the very least she had her life something that Merlin lost and all because he crossed paths with her Merlin Santana was buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx Merlin leaves behind a lot of family and friends who still speak fondly of him till this day and who miss him very much his short time with us he was able to show us that if you want something bad enough it doesn't matter where you came from you could get your hands on it and if you still want it that bad when you have your hands on it you could take those dreams as far as you want and take control of your future he was the perfect example of what it means to make it out the hood and make those around you proud to see you rise proud to see you become a part of something much bigger than yourself proud to know that someone from somewhere just like you and me could reach for the stars and leave a lasting impression we may never get to witness how massive of a star Merlin Santana would have undoubtedly been right now but for all of us who recognize his talents and saw how far he had already been we knew exactly how far he was going rest in peace to Merlin Santana and my deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones I had to jump up there and grab it but I did you know I did my best and uh it was definitely a challenge but sure whatever's next man you know I can't call it are you getting forgetful in your old age Mr Hightower you just asked us to borrow a pencil for my neighbor foreign

Channel: Evil Intentions

Views: 2,012,706

Keywords: Merlin Santana, The cosby Show, Moesha, Sister Sister, Under One Roof, Getting By, Showtime, Robert Deniro, Eddie Murphy, New york, NYC, Upper West Side, UWS, Washington Heights, The Heights, Tiktok, fyp, New York City, Stanley the cosby show, Bill Cosby, Crenshaw, Los Angeles, The Steve Harvey Show, The people under the stairs, Brandon Quintin Adams, Bad, Michael Jackson Bad, true crime, truecrime, truecrimecommunity, true crime podcast, true crime anytime, hollywood, sitcom

Id: QAogypquK5U

Length: 16min 31sec (991 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 09 2022