Richard Santiago was convicted of the 2012 murder of a Woodbury woman.
WOODBURY -- A Camden man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2012 fatal stabbing of a Woodbury woman.
Richard Santiago, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday in the killing of 54-year-old Ramona Johnstone.
Richard Santiago, 63, of Camden, (left) was convicted Tuesday in the 2012 stabbing death of Woodbury resident Ramona Johnstone. Johnstone had been a prosecution witness in Santiago's trial for the stabbing death of 44-year-old Richard King in 2004, in which Santiago was convicted of aggravated manslaughter.
In 2006, Santiago was sentenced to nine years in prison and was released in May 2012. Later that year, in December, Johnstone was found unconscious in her apartment with multiple knife wounds.
After a five day trial, and six hours of deliberation, a jury found Santiago guilty of first-degree murder and third-degree hindering prosecution, alleging concealment or destruction of evidence.
Santiago was acquitted of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, as the murder weapon was not found.
According to a report from the prosecutor's office, Senior Assistant Prosecutor Laurie Cimino, chief of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's grand jury section, told the jury that revenge for his 2006 conviction was Santiago's motive for killing Johnstone.
South Jersey fatal stabbing victim witnessed similar crime in 2004
The prosecution's case against Santiago included 23 witnesses, records of phone calls he made to relatives from prison after his 2012 arrest and security camera video from Johnstone's South Broad Street apartment complex, as well as that of the businesses along Broad Street.
Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson revoked Santiago's $1 million bail and set sentencing for June 24.
Caitlyn Stulpin may be reached at cstulpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitstulpin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.