Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.
Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today that the Honorable Judge Stephen Dunkle sentenced Mr. Ron Dolph Tutay to 50-years-to-life in state prison for the first degree murder of Gerald Williams. A Santa Barbara County jury found Tutay guilty of killing Mr. Williams, a black Navy veteran, on October 10, 2024.
On July 2, 2022, Mr. Williams was walking down the sidewalk on the 200 block of East Main Street in Santa Maria, CA when Tutay shot him in the back, killing him. During the months long jury trial, evidence was presented establishing that Mr. Tutay waited on the sidewalk for over an hour before shooting Mr. Williams, a stranger, in the back at a distance of 34 feet. Santa Maria Police officers responded to the scene and immediately began life saving measures. Despite their efforts, Mr. Williams succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
Law Enforcement located a single spent cartridge casing, on a sidewalk a few feet from where Ron Tutay had been seated. Santa Maria Police Detectives contacted Tutay, which ultimately lead to his arrest and a search of his belongings. During the search of Tutay’s suitcase, law enforcement located the murder weapon, a loaded semi-automatic handgun. After his arrest, Tutay proceeded to refer to Mr. Williams using racial slurs and shamefully suggesting that Mr. Williams’ death was a good thing.
On October 10, 2024, after several days of deliberations, a Santa Barbara County jury found Ron Tutay guilty of first-degree murder with personal use of a firearm causing death. On March 3, 2025, the Honorable Judge Stephen Dunkle sentenced Mr. Tutay to the maximum allowable sentenced under the law, 50-years-to-life in state prison. Mr. Williams’ friends and family addressed the court at the time sentencing.
At the sentencing Senior Deputy District Attorney Austin Ingalls commented that, “Because of Mr. Tutay’s actions, this country lost a patriot, two children lost a father, and this community lost a friend. 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.”
District Attorney Savrnoch emphasizes that “Justice was served due to the hard work of the Santa Maria Police Department and Senior Deputy District Attorney Austin Ingalls.”
