SANTA MARIA – It's another disturbing story involving an infamous intersection in Santa Maria.
A curbside memorial to where a man was stabbed to death has been vandalized at the corner of Bunny Avenue and North Broadway which has seen a string of recent violence.
At first glance, life at the corner of Bunny and Broadway in Santa Maria has returned to normal.
It's been just weeks since a man was found stabbed to death in the intersection and, not far away, a 22 year old man was shot and killed by undercover law enforcement officers.
"The cops don't come around here anymore", says neighborhood resident Irene Madrigal, "so that worries us."
"No, I don't walk by myself", adds Lesley Ann Munoz, "all of our family members have been told we shouldn't walk by ourselves, especially after dark."
Munoz says she believes her cousin, 46 year old Marcellus Winn, was stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity.
She says a memorial to Winn near the scene where his body was found has been vandalized.
"The baby Jesus' around, the angels around, the candles, a picture of him, a picture of his kids, a picture of his wife, a picture of me and him, we had it all set up right there", Munoz says pointing to the stop sign at the corner of Bunny and Broadway, "someone came along in the nighttime and they poured industrial gasoline on it and lit it on fire, that's a hate crime."
The street side memorial to Marcellus Winn appears to have been vandalized, but not far away another makeshift memorial to a shooting victim, Jose Ortega, remains well attended.
Candles, flowers and other items continue to be brought to the memorial in the alleyway to 22 year old Jose "Knuckles" Ortega.
The Sheriff's Department says Ortega was armed with a handgun and tried to flee arrest as a gang member in violation of his parole when he was shot and killed.
The motive behind Marcellus Winn's stabbing death, allegedly by 34 year old Jim Alonzo of Santa Maria, remains unknown.
Lesley Ann Munoz says race may have played a role since Marcellus Winn was black.
"I think it had something do with it", Munoz says, "yeah a lot to do with it, it had to have."
