Man gets life in prison for deadly Salem hotel shooting

SALEM, Ore. (KPTV) - A man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2021 murder and attempted murder at a Salem hotel, according to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office.

The district attorney’s office said on Thursday, a judge sentenced 34-year-old Antonio Soto to life in prison. He will serve a minimum of 45 years before he is eligible for parole.

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A jury found Soto guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm, first-degree attempted murder with a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm after a two-week trial.

The district attorney’s office said on June 8, 2021, Soto murdered 40-year-old Davontae Smith and attempted to murder 22-year-old Adrian Gonzales at the Capital Inn and Suites. Smith and Gonzales attempted to stop Soto from assaulting a woman in the hallway of the hotel. Soto killed Smith, almost shot Gonzales in the head and left the state.

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The district attorney said Soto had been released from prison for first-degree robbery just more than a year before these crimes.

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