Sep. 6--Ana Maiorino, daughter of Francisco Santoni, talks about

the killing of her father and two others in 1994 in El Paso:

EL PASO -- Fifteen years after the murders of a 3-year-old and his parents, two things have not changed: The crime remains unsolved, and its savagery still shocks people.

Francisco Santoni, his girlfriend, Connie Villa, and their son, Dante Santoni, died in their East El Paso home on Aug. 11, 1994. Each was stabbed at least 10 times.

Police theorized that Villa, 28, was attacked first in the master bedroom, and that Dante was stabbed as he slept in his room. The killer or killers then waited for Santoni, 59, to arrive home from a night in Juarez. His body also was found in the master bedroom.

Certain items were taken from the home, including clothing and jewelry. The intruders also stole Villa's green 1994 Dodge Colt. It was found four days later in Central El Paso.

Santoni's daughter, Ana Maiorino, said her father had lived in El Paso for about nine years when he was killed. A native of Chile, he worked for an American auto parts company that transferred him first to Venezuela and then to the United States.

The family landed in Madison, Conn. It was there that Santoni met Abel Gonzalez, who owned an auto parts company in Mexico. Gonzalez approached Santoni with the idea of starting a business, GSK Corp., in El Paso.

During a phone interview from her home in Connecticut, Maiorino said her parents and younger brother, Frank, moved to El Paso. She stayed in Connecticut to attend college.

"Growing up, we were the normal, typical family," said Maiorino, 43. "We went on vacation and my parents were happy, but once they moved out there, things started to change."

Santoni's wife, Maria Santoni, said her husband began to socialize with potential clients in Juarez, and often stayed out late to have dinner and partake in the nightlife. Santoni, 66, said during a recent phone interview that she became worried about her husband when she found a small amount of cocaine in his wallet.

"He mentioned he was having a toothache, and he was using that for the toothache," Santoni said.

She began paying more attention to her husband's new habits, but never again found any trace of drugs. Years later, the two separated but never filed for divorce. In 1992, Santoni said, she discovered that her husband was having an affair with Villa.

"In the 27 years that I was married to him, that was the only time I heard something like that," Santoni said.

Santoni stayed in the couple's home while her husband moved in with Villa. Maria and Francisco Santoni spoke only by phone, when he passed along messages for her to give to their children.

"Please tell them hello," he would say.

Santoni heard about her husband's death while visiting her daughter, Maiorino, who had just given birth to her third child. After the murders, Santoni moved back to Connecticut, but the deaths of her husband, Villa and Dante have not strayed from her thoughts.

"I can't believe why, why nobody has done anything," Santoni said. "Why was it so difficult for the police in El Paso to find any evidence?"

Detective Michael Aman, who investigates cold cases, said the murders took place in the middle of the night. The neighborhood was canvassed, but no witnesses were found.

Aman said police initially looked into tensions between the Santoni and Villa families. Police learned Santoni had planned to divorce his wife and marry Villa, but they eventually dismissed theories that family members were involved.

A more plausible lead was that Santoni's business associates knew something about the murders. Yet another possibility, Aman said, was that Santoni might have been involved in illegal business deals.

"I strongly feel that the other lead will take us into Juarez," Aman said. "It's the strongest one we had."

Police thought they were on their way to solving the case after a man incarcerated in Juarez told Mexican officials that he knew something about the murders. With the cooperation of Mexican prosecutors, Aman traveled to Juarez and talked to the man. But the informant's story did not match the evidence.

Maiorino believes Gonzalez, her father's business partner, knows something that may lead police to a suspect. However, Gonzalez has refused to talk to police about the murders. Soon after the investigation began, he hired attorney Gary Weiser.

Weiser, during the initial investigation, said Gonzalez had nothing to do with the murders. Police think Gonzalez has moved back to Mexico, and they question whether he could help crack the case.

"In my view, it's possible he knows something, but the lead we're working on doesn't directly lead to him," Aman said.

Maiorino said she wondered whether drugs or any other illegal activities might have played a part in the murders.

"I don't know if my dad was selling for someone, or if my dad was just using and owed them money," Maiorino said. "My hopes are that somebody will speak up."

She mourns the little brother she never got to meet.

"My father made his choices and suffered the consequences, but when I look at Dante's pictures, it breaks my heart," Maiorino said.

"He was innocent, and the thought that the person or persons that did that to him are still out there angers me."

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 564-7010, or Crime Stoppers at 566-8477.

Adriana M. Chavez may be reached at achavez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6117.

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