SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department arrested a suspect in connection to two cold case homicides that occurred nearly 20 years ago. The SFPD indicated in a press release that on December 9, 1999 at approximately 7:00 p.m. officers responded to an incident in an apartment building on the 400 block of Bush Street where former University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) swimmer Kameron Sengthavy, 25, was found deceased from apparent stab wounds.
On June 1, 2000 at approximately 7:00 a.m. officers arrived to a gas station at Washington and Van Ness Streets where the body of a gas station attendant, Thomas Lee, 60, of San Francisco was found shot by an unknown assailant.
Investigators from the SFPD Homicide Detail conducted investigations for both crimes. After exhausting all leads, investigations were assigned to the Department’s Cold Case Unit. In early 2018, investigators from the SFPD Homicide Detail’s Cold Case Unit developed information that led them to the identity of the suspect in both homicides. The suspect was revealed to be Donovan Ray Lacy, a 38 year-old male.
Lacy is currently serving time in a Florida prison for several bank robberies he committed. He previously lived in the Bay Area and was brought back to Marin County to stand trial for several bank robberies that occurred in 2012 and 2013. In January 2014, he was convicted on the Marin County bank robbery charges and was sentenced to 105 years in prison. Following his sentencing in Marin County, Lacy was transported back to Florida.
SFPD investigators gathered evidence and developed probable cause to charge Lacy with the murders of Sengthavy and Lee. An arrest warrant has been issued charging Lacy with two counts of homicide. He is expected to be extradited to San Francisco to stand trial for the murders. After the San Francisco murder trials conclude, Lacy is expected to return to Florida to finish out his nine-year sentence for bank robbery. He is then expected to be transported back to Marin County and serve out his 105-year sentence for the 2012 and 2013 bank robbery convictions.
Both cases remain open investigations for the SFPD. Anyone with information on the murder of Kameron Sengthavy or Thomas Lee is asked to contact Inspector Dan Cunningham of the SFPD Homicide Detail at (415) 553-9515. Information can be provided via the SFPD 24 hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or by using Text-a-Tip. Text TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
