A York man who chased his domestic partner to a busy shopping center in Wyomissing and shot and killed an Allentown man as they got into his car has been sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder.
Nehemias Santiago Montez, 40, pleaded guilty in Berks County Court on January 16 and was sentenced by Judge Madeline S. Hudeman to 18 to 40 years in prison, a sentence he and prosecutors agreed to agree with. This was reached through a plea bargain.
Police say Santiago Montez stalked his partner in the United States by hiding the Apple Watch in his car and following her to Wyomissing, more than 80 miles from her home.
He had been in custody since his arrest shortly after the shooting on March 19, 2022.
The shooting occurred just before 4 p.m. in Berkshire Square off State Hill Road, killing Alexi Rodriguez Serra, 34, of Allentown.
Jessica Cruz Rodriguez, 32, of York, was also seriously injured. Officials said she lived with Santiago Montes and had a child with her.
Police said Rodriguez-Serra was injured when the SUV she tried to drive after she was shot crashed.
According to Wyomissing Police,
Spring Township police officers were across the street from the shopping center when the shooting occurred.
While en route to the complex, officers noticed a Toyota Highlander parked behind a BARTA bus on the main access drive. The bus driver pointed at the vehicle and told officers that the driver of the Toyota was involved in the shooting.
As officers searched the vehicle, a shirtless man, later identified as Santiago Montez, got out of the driver’s seat and approached the patrol car. The officer got out of his car and he asked the man how he got involved.
“We did it,” Santiago Montes said.
While handcuffing him, the officer asked him where his gun was. Santiago Montes said it was in his car.
Meanwhile, Wyo Missing Police responded to multiple calls of 10 to 20 shots being fired outside a shopping center.
Officers arrived within two minutes of dispatch and found the Dodge Durango crashed into a tree on a traffic island along the highway.
Inside the Durango, Rodriguez-Serra was found dead in the driver’s seat. He had sustained gunshot wounds.
Officers also found Cruz-Rodriguez lying in the parking lot with head injuries from the accident.
She was rescued by people at the scene and taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital, where she underwent surgery to control severe bleeding from the brain.
She was hospitalized in critical condition.
The Waio Missing Police transported Santiago Montes to the police station for questioning.
He said he waited about an hour for the Durango to pull up next to his wife’s car. He became furious when he saw her in another man’s car. He drove through the parking lot, stopped near Durango, and got out of the car.
He began firing a handgun with an extended magazine of 30 rounds into the driver’s side door window.
Rodriguez-Serra floored the Durango while attempting to reverse it out of a parking space, causing it to crash into a vehicle parked in another row. Santiago Montez then fired several shots through the windshield.
Santiago Montes said he saw the Durango speed up and crash into islands and trees in the landscape. He noticed that Cruz-Rodriguez was lying not near Durango, but near where the shooting occurred. It’s unclear how she got out of her car.
Santiago Montes said he ran up to her and took off his shirt, using it to control the bleeding from her head wound before returning to his car.
Prosecutors said Cruz-Rodriguez has since recovered from his injuries.
where to find help
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.
To seek the help of an advocate or contact Safe Berks, call our 24-hour hotline at 844-789-SAFE (7233) or text SAFE BERKS to 20121.
Safe Berks provides free and confidential services 24 hours a day to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. All services are available in English and Spanish, with translations used if other languages are required.
