Snapped is investigating the murder of Anthony Jay Davis, who was gunned down on his street in Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, by neighbor Lennie (sometimes spelled Lonnie) Paul Tracey.
Davis and Tracey were next-door neighbors engaged in a long-running feud. That feud came to an abrupt end on September 24, 2011, when Tracey gunned down his neighbor as the pair argued about lights in the middle of the night.
The two men were both in their 50s and had a lot of similarities. In another set of circumstances, they could have been friends, but instead, they embarked on an 8-year feud that ended in murder.
Tracey had installed floodlights on his property, which he allegedly pointed at the Davis home. Davis was mostly angry because the lights were interfering with his surveillance system. He had set up surveillance cameras after his house and car had been vandalized.
On the night of the murder, Davis went to Tracey’s house, and the pair started arguing. At one point, Davis tried to unplug the lights, but Tracey shot him with a shotgun. The shooter then pointed the gun at Davis’s wife; either the gun jammed, or Tracey chose not to fire.
Los Angeles County deputies responded to calls of an assault with a deadly weapon. The officers found 51-year-old Davis lying on the ground outside a house with gunshot wounds. He was hit twice in his upper torso and passed away at the scene.
Witnesses told cops that Lennie Tracey and Anthony Davis were feuding
The cops had initially been told a prowler had been shot, but they soon learned from other neighbors that this was a feud and Tracey had shot Davis.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelTracey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was held on a £1 million bail bond and has remained in custody.
During the murder trial, Tracey’s defense team tried to paint him as a victim who had just been protecting his home. However, the prosecution pointed out that Tracey had shot Davis in the chest and then reloaded and shot him in the back.
Lennie Tracey convicted of killing Anthony Davis
On November 7, 2012, a jury convicted Tracey of murder, and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was also convicted on a single count of assault with a firearm and given a further 14 years.
Tracey was already over 50 years old at the time of conviction, so he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
This case has been the subject of much media attention and has already been featured on ID’s Fear Thy Neighbor.
Snapped airs Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen.