An Ohio man was found guilty for the August 2019 shooting deaths of two Black teens he discovered smoking marijuana inside of his garage, Dayton Daily News reports.  

Victor Santana, 65, of Dayton killed the two 17-year-old Black teens after he caught them smoking in a car, according to authorities.  

Ja’Shin Gibson, 19, who was in the car the night of the shooting, testified against Santana during the trial.  

Gibson claimed that the vehicle looked abandoned in the garage, it was pitch-black and the group of friends just wanted some place to smoke marijuana.  

“We just wanted to get high, go home,” Gibson said.

Gibson, who witnessed the murders, maintains that Santana opened the door and fired shots in the vehicle without warning. 

“He didn’t say nothing at all,” he testified. 

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Gibson hid under the car during the shooting and escaped the crime scene after Santana left.  

Defense attorney Lucas Wilder alleges that Santana was at home when he heard and witnessed people he believed were adults entering through his front gate at around 11 p.m. Wilder said that a fearful Santana grabbed his gun.  

Wilder claims his client went into the garage, opened the car and found the teens inside. Wilder said that Santana had no idea whether they would attack him or not.   

“In that moment, fear hits him and he decides to shoot,” Wilder said. 

The defendant wanted to exercise the state’s new “stand your ground” defense; however, a judge ruled earlier this year that this defense couldn’t be applied retroactively to the killings of Devin Henderson and Javier Harrison.  

After the verdict was decided on Thursday, Santana’s attorney Wilder declined to comment to Dayton Daily News.  

Santana is being held at the Montgomery County jail.  

His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20. 

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