Lennie Paul Tracey

Summary

Snapped: Women Who Murder

Episode: Lennie Paul Tracy

Podcast Host: Oxygen
Date: January 11, 2026

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode of Snapped chronicles the violent and tragic culmination of an eight-year neighborly feud between Lenny Paul Tracy and Tony Davis in Santa Clarita, California. Through interviews, official statements, and first-hand accounts, the episode explores how seemingly small disputes between once-similar neighbors escalated to harassment, paranoia, and ultimately, a fatal shooting. The episode not only follows the night of the murder but also delves deep into the long, toxic history between the Davis and Tracy families, the subsequent investigation, trial, and aftermath.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Background: Two Lives, One Street

• Two families, many similarities:
  • Both men, Lenny Tracy and Tony Davis, were near-identical in age, had suffered setbacks due to disabling injuries, and once had potential for close friendship.
  • “They were both similar in age and they both went through terrible tragedies in their lives.” — Neighbor or Friend [01:05]
• Initial good relations dissolve:
  • The relationship soured over seemingly minor property disputes such as a tire on a fence and worries about pets escaping.

The Feud Escalates

• Petty complaints become routine:
  • Repeated police involvement over minor neighborhood infractions: lawn watering, trash cans, vehicle parking, and more.
  • "There are two huge volumes at the station of petty complaints." — Investigator or Police Officer [01:18]
• Attempts at reconciliation fail:
  • The Davises try for mediation and even file restraining orders, but matters only worsen.
  • Harassment tactics by the Tracys escalate to using floodlights, loud noises, and even custom-made derogatory signs aimed at the Davises.
  • “They took a directional speaker and they pointed it at my aunt, my uncle's house. And so all night there was extremely loud bird noises playing.” — Family Member (Nephew/Niece) [22:48]

The Fatal Night

• Shooting occurs on September 24, 2011:
  • Just before 3am, Tony Davis approaches the Tracy home to ask for an infrared light to be turned off.
  • He is shot at close range—once in the chest, once in the back—by Lenny Paul Tracy.
  • Paramedics are delayed due to a standoff with Tracy, preventing immediate aid.
  • "He had two gunshot wounds close up, one in the back and one in the chest." — Detective or Law Enforcement [04:41]
  • Family and neighbors attempt CPR while tension and chaos reign as police negotiate Tracy’s surrender.
  • "Sandra was screaming at the police to shut the door so that her cats don't get out. That was just crazy to me." — Family Member (Nephew/Niece) [16:10]

Investigation & Evidence

• Crime scene and behavioral clues:
  • The scene is littered with evidence of the long-standing feud—professional signs with insults, unusual fences, and video surveillance systems on both properties.
  • "Mr. Tracy had been a long term graphic designer and used his talents as a sign maker to make these vulgar signs." — Detective or Law Enforcement [19:15]
• Key physical and video evidence:
  • Investigators recover tapes that were hidden after the shooting, undermining any self-defense claim.
  • Surveillance footage shows Tony never forced entry and was shot while trying to flee.
    • “When you're confronting someone and you shoot them in the chest... but after you shoot someone in the chest and the person turns around and runs away from you and you shoot him again, it no longer becomes self-defense.” — Investigator or Analyst [35:01]
• Forensic inconsistencies:
  • No evidence of a struggle as Tracy claimed; autopsy did not align with his account.

Conflicting Accounts

• Cindy Davis’s account (victim’s widow):
  • Describes escalating paranoia and harassment by Tracy.
  • Recounts the night of the shooting, her attempt to help her husband, and being threatened by Tracy.
• Sandra Tracy’s account (suspect’s wife):
  • Blames the Davises, alleges stalking and provocation.
  • Claims the shooting was in response to a forced entry, refuted by evidence and police findings.
  • Most of her accounts are based on secondhand information from Lenny Tracy.

Legal Proceedings

• Lenny Tracy’s defense:
  • Claims he thought Tony was a burglar; maintains innocence and pleads self-defense.
  • Video and physical evidence discredit this, showing premeditation and consciousness of guilt.
  • His actions post-shooting (hiding evidence, aggressive behavior) further undermine his case.
  • "If it was a legitimate self defense and you had the tape to prove it, you would say, please come see the tape." — Investigator or Police Officer [33:28]
• Jury verdict and sentencing:
  • Tracy is convicted of first-degree murder and assault for threatening Cindy Davis.
  • Sentenced to 50 years to life, plus 14 years for assault.
  • Appeal was unsuccessful.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Petty Disputes to Deadly Feud

• "You'd think that this would be something that people would bond over." — Neighbor or Friend, on both men’s tough lives [09:31]

Attempts at Intervention

• "The Davises were willing and they really wanted to sit down and discuss the problems and how could they resolve them? And each time the Tracy's refused." — Family Member (Nephew/Niece) [11:23]

Exposing the Escalation

• "Lenny and Tony were a lot alike... but instead of becoming best friends, the two men turned into enemies." — Narrator [09:47]

The Harassment's Toll

• "The Tracy's would take floodlights and they would strap them to the side of their house and they would shine them directly into the bedroom windows. All night my uncle started sleeping in the living room on the couch to try to escape that." — Family Member (Nephew/Niece) [22:48]

Bitter Irony of Outcomes

• "The most tragic part of this case is that they could have been best friends. And instead, one person lost his life and the other one will be spending his life in prison." — Detective or Law Enforcement [42:56]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Initial context and setup of feud – [01:03] to [10:26]
• Breakdown of escalating harassment – [11:05] to [22:48]
• Night of the shooting and standoff – [02:29], [14:11] to [16:49]
• Crime scene discoveries and evidence gathering – [17:16] to [19:34], [32:03] to [35:28]
• Contradictions in Sandra Tracy’s narrative – [28:21] to [30:59]
• Legal analysis and trial evidence – [36:03] to [41:46]
• Verdict, sentencing, and aftermath – [41:51] to [43:59]

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The Aftermath

• Lenny Paul Tracy is imprisoned for life; appeal fails.
• Sandra Tracy leaves the neighborhood; Cindy Davis remains, supported by family and neighbors.
• The case stands as a warning about the dangers of escalating neighborhood disputes and the fatal consequences of unchecked bitterness.

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Closing Reflection

The tragic story of Lenny Paul Tracy and Tony Davis stands as a chilling example of how anger, suspicion, and an unwillingness to forgive or let go can destroy lives. As the episode reveals, beneath every neighborhood squabble can lurk unspoken pain, and the refusal to reconcile can yield irreparable tragedy. The voices of family and neighbors, and stark lines from those involved, bring the human costs into sharp relief.

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Note: This summary omits ads, podcast intros/outros, and focuses strictly on the core content and discussion.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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With many things in common.

[Neighbor or Friend]

They were both similar in age and they both went through terrible tragedies in their lives.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

They could have been best friends, but.

[Narrator]

Instead of sharing backyard barbecues, they declared war.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

There are two huge volumes at the station of petty complaints.

[Sandra Tracy]

Get the off of our property. I've just called my neighbors from hell forever.

[Narrator]

Their eight year feud would ultimately erupt into violence.

[Investigator or Analyst]

They said we have a neighbor who shot another neighbor and that this was an ongoing dispute.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

He had two gunshot wounds close up, one in the back and one in the chest.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

I saw the hole in his chest and he was struggling to breathe.

[Narrator]

The question was which neighbor was to blame.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

The night he actually decided to walk over there, he was just like, I give up. I just want this to end.

[Sandra Tracy]

My husband kept warning everybody, you know something's going to happen. It's getting worse.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

It was a powder keg ready to explode. And when it did explode, someone was murdered.

[Narrator]

September 24, 2011 it's just before 3am in the suburbs of Santa Clarita, California, and most residents are sound asleep. But their rest is suddenly disturbed by the sound of gunshots.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

911.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Power on our property and he's been shot. So you need to get somebody here now.

[Narrator]

Within minutes, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrive outside a residence in the area known as Canyon Country. They quickly learn that the gunshot victim isn't a stranger to the 911 caller.

[Investigator or Analyst]

When I arrived there was like a barrier, a Fence that it didn't. It just covered the front of the house, which I thought was kind of unusual. There were a few neighbors that were still out and about. They said, we have a neighbor who shot another neighbor and that this was an ongoing dispute.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

It was a chaotic situation. You had a victim who had obviously been shot, but you also had an unaccounted gunman. So they were trying to get a hold of the situation while they had an active shooter on their hands.

[Narrator]

Onlookers say the Feuding neighbors are 51 year old Lenny Paul Tracy and 51 year old Anthony Davis.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

There was a standoff between the shooter inside the house and the sheriffs outside that were trying to get him in custody and protect everyone on scene.

[Narrator]

As long as the standoff continues, Paramedics are unable to reach the injured man.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The deputy sheriffs weren't allowing the EMTs inside because the scene hadn't been actively secured.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

We knew who the two parties were. I'm trying to identify the victim and to identify the suspect, I needed to investigate further.

[Narrator]

Of the two feuding neighbors, Tony Davis was the newest resident.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Tony grew up in Salenta Hunga, small area in Southern California, and he went to school up there. That's where he met my aunt Cindy. They were high school sweethearts.

[Narrator]

After high school, Tony and Cindy moved in together. She took an office job while he started his own roofing company.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

My uncle Tony was an extremely hard worker and his roofing business was successful.

[Narrator]

In 1981, when Tony and Cindy were just 20 years old, they had their first child together, a son named Jesse. They decided to get married, and four years later, their daughter Jamie was born.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Cindy and Tony had an amazing home life. They were very family oriented. It was dinner every night on the table, sit down and talk about each other's day.

[Narrator]

Tony took pride in providing for his family, but by the time he turned 30, construction work had taken its toll.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Roofing was strenuous. It's hard labor. So he decided to change careers and went into trucking. I remember him aiming for his class A license and how hard he was working on that.

[Narrator]

While he finished his license, Tony supplemented his income with a job at a home improvement store. But in 1991, a freak accident turned his life upside down.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

He was in the warehouse and a forklift malfunctioned and backed over him and backed over his leg and crushed his leg. That was obviously a very difficult injury to deal with. He was on disability at the time and he didn't want to sit at home and be stagnant. So he actually decided to start going to classes and start aiming for a bachelor's degree in education. He fell in love with teaching a lot more than his prior careers.

[Narrator]

By 2003, Tony was back on track. And after more than 20 years of marriage, he and Cindy decided it was time to invest in a dream house. They found it on a cul de sac in canyon country.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

That was the first home that they ever purchased. This house had, like a beautiful pool, gorgeous yard. It required a lot of work, and, you know, that was the time and effort that they were willing to put in together. They worked really well together as a team.

[Narrator]

When their nephew moved to California for college, the couple invited him to stay with them.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

They wanted to provide me with support, and it was amazing. Every night when I came home, my uncle Tony was waiting there on the couch for me.

[Narrator]

Tony and Cindy quickly connected with their neighbors, including the couple living next door. Lenny Paul Tracy and his wife Sandra.

[Neighbor or Witness]

I lived directly next door to the Tracy's, and then the Davises were next door to him. So we were all three right in a row. The Davises were very friendly. They were very talkative and welcoming to us and to the neighborhood.

[Neighbor or Friend]

Lenny and Tony were a lot alike. Lenny and Sandra didn't get married as early as Tony and Cindy did, but that was because Lenny actually served in the army beforehand.

[Narrator]

Lennie Paul Tracy was born in 1960 and grew up in Simi Valley, California.

[Neighbor or Friend]

After the army, Lenny, he started his care commercial artist. He focused a lot on print advertising and graphic design. Along the way, he met Sandra and they built a life together. And they found their dream home on Calypso Lane. Like Tony, Lenny was sidelined by an accident, and he was put on disability. He crashed into a sign and he tore his meniscus. That meant that Lenny and Sandra had to make do with the money that he was getting from workers. Compared to these were two guys, they went through horrible situations, tragedies. You'd think that this would be something that people would bond over.

[Narrator]

But instead of becoming best friends, the two men turned into enemies.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

The issue that started this entire problem was that Lenny had a large tire that was leaning against the wooden fence in the backyard. My uncle had two large German shepherds. And the fence was starting to bow in such a way that it was starting to create an opening in the fence. And my uncle was worried that the dogs were going to get through the fence. My uncle Tony decided to take a note and put it on the door and said, hey, there's a tire in the backyard. Is There any way that we can move that?

[Narrator]

The note seemed to offend the Tracy's. Instead of coming to some kind of arrangement, they quickly became hostile.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

From that note on, it was cop calling and it was harassment. The Tracy's would file complaints if they were watering the lawn because there was water getting on their sidewalk.

[Neighbor or Friend]

Looky.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Davis decided to squirt the house down.

[Neighbor or Friend]

This water.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

They called the cops one time because the trash service picked up the trash cans, but nobody immediately removed them. They complained about the way the vehicles were parked.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

They're not allowed to do this. The Davises tried to be friendly and talk through it, but the Tracy's weren't having.

[Narrator]

After years of volatile relations, any attempts at mediation have failed.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

The Davises were willing and they really wanted to sit down and discuss the problems and how could they resolve them? And each time the Tracy's refused.

[Narrator]

Amidst the chaos of the crime scene, sheriffs determine which neighbor was the gunman and who has been gunned down.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Neighbors on scene were upset with Mr. Tracy, who they suspected had just shot and killed their neighbor, Mr. Davis.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

When I woke up, I heard my aunt Cindy screaming outside. And so I walked outside. Tracy was still standing in the doorway with the shotgun. They were ordering him to put down the weapon and come outside of the house. He was refusing.

[Investigator or Analyst]

Being uncooperative, standoffish, using colorful language.

[Narrator]

Since EMTs can't act, a neighbor standing by takes matters into her own hands.

[Neighbor or Witness]

I run outside and we started cpr. Tony was laying on his back. I didn't know whether or not he was alive. And so, you know, at that point I needed to do whatever I could to try and resuscitate him.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

The only thought that I had was that we had to get Tony away from the house.

[Narrator]

Unfortunately, Lenny is still showing no signs of surrender.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

At some point, Mr. Tracy opened the door, peeked his head out and told the sheriffs that if they wanted him, they would have to come in and get him.

[Narrator]

Coming up, officers defuse a dangerous situation.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Sandro was screaming at the police to shut the door.

[Narrator]

And investigators uncovered details of a bizarre neighborhood fuse.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

The police are on their way.

[Neighbor or Witness]

Good.

[Investigator or Analyst]

There was no question as to what happened. Why it happened is a totally different issue.

[Narrator]

As Los Angeles county sheriffs try to negotiate a surrender with active shooter, 51 year old Lenny Paul Tracy. Time is running out for his apparent victim and next door neighbor, Tony Davis.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

We had to get Tony out of the line of fire and get us out of the line of fire as well. So we grabbed Tony's arms and his Legs and we drug him out to the front.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mr. Davis was originally found on the walkway about 15ft off the the doorstep of the Tracy residence. They were able to drag him from that walkway out into the driveway area and he was able to get some medical care from the EMTs. He had two gunshot wounds close up. One in the back and one in the chest. He was shortly thereafter pronounced dead.

[Narrator]

Sheriffs officially declare the case a homicide and prepare to storm the Tracy residence to take Lenny into custody.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

The sheriff elected to remove both Mr. And Mrs. Tracy to minimize any further violence. That evening it was tense for a matter of a few min. And at first they thought that he was taunting them about making entry into his house. Later on he appeared to them to be more amenable to a nonviolent resolution of the conflict. And the deputies were able to safely enter the front foyer of the house.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

They found the shotgun on the couch in the living room and Mr. Tracy immediately handcuffed him.

[Narrator]

Lenny and Sandra Tracy both seem agitated and under the circumstances their behavior strikes officers as odd.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Sandra was screaming at the police to shut the door so that her cats don't get out. That was just crazy to me.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

The Tracy seemed more concerned with the well being of the cats than Mr. Davis death or even Mr. Tracy's legal troubles.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Once the sheriffs had secured the location, they were going about the house making sure everything was secure. And the deputy sheriff that was assigned to watch Mr. Tracy actually heard Mr. Tracy sort of muttering to himself.

[Investigator or Analyst]

He said I've never shot anybody in anger and I was in the army. I thought what a strange thing to say or to even come up. I mean it was almost like he thought it was maybe he missed or something. But that's not the case.

[Narrator]

The Tracy's are taken into custody in order for detectives to question them further. But first authorities process the crime scene.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

By the front door I found two expended shotgun shells and one live shell. Based on the information that there was a forced entry into the home. I looked at the front door and found that there was no evidence that the door was damaged. There were no kick marks, strike marks, there were no smudges, et cetera on the door that would be in keeping with that scenario. And as I made my way around the exterior of the Tracy residence, I saw a very unusual fence. The way it was designed look to be an attempt at some sort of tactical impediment.

[Investigator or Analyst]

This fence was maybe about 8ft long, 6ft high and it was made out of wood. It almost looked like a barrier.

[Narrator]

As LA Sheriffs continue to survey the property, they find more evidence of the feud between the Davis and Tracy families.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Along the common wall that faced towards the Davis residence were a number of professional quality signs that were highly inflammatory, made reference to the Davises in extremely demeaning and hateful light. They weren't visible from the street, but if the Davises looked over their yard towards the Tracy's house, they would become immediately visible.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mr. Tracy had been a long term graphic designer and used his talents as a sign maker to make these vulgar signs. And then took the time to post on his outside wall facing the Davis residence.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

One of the signs had an image of a whale and it was indicating that Mrs. Davis was overweight. All I could think was how much time and effort went into the sign and what level of commitment to this feud, if you will, had transpired over those years.

[Investigator or Analyst]

There was no question as to what happened. Why it happened is a totally different issue.

[Narrator]

Once Tony's widow, Cindy Davis recovers enough to talk, she offers her side of the feud. According to her, what started as a neighborly disagreement in 2003 slowly escalated into increasingly paranoid and hostile behavior.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

They get louder and louder and louder. As usual, he deliberately lowers his blade so low it cuts too deep.

[Neighbor or Witness]

There were lots of issues where Tracy had targeted his daughter in some of his harassment tactics. Things like standing out in the yard with the garden hose and spraying her car and at her as she walked by to try and go inside her home.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

There's the water hose. My uncle Tony was telling me to try, to try my best to ignore, that's my property line.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

I don't want them anywhere near this property.

[Neighbor or Witness]

Tracy was very versed in the city ordinances and knew just what to say and just what to do and just what the limits were. For instance, Christmas time they had their air conditioner decorated like a Christmas gift on top of the house. And he called the city so that they had to remove it because it was, you know, a hazard. And so they made him take it down.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

These are the vehicles that are constantly being attacked.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The Tracy's had complained that the Davis had moved their mailbox, had not cleaned up their dog feces in the backyard, and because it was a slightly elevation, it was affecting their backyard. So the city inspectors were out there to investigate that. Time and again.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Over the course of the eight year neighbor feud, it led to an escalation of each side mounting exterior cameras with recording devices to monitor the activities of the other.

[Narrator]

Cindy tells detectives that she and Tony finally reached their limit in 2006 and filed a restraining order.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Tony and Cindy took out a restraining order on the Tracy's to try to stop them from running up to the car and taking pictures and screaming in the window. The Tracy's then pretty much immediately turned around and filed the exact same restraining order against Tony and Cindy. After the restraining order, things got pretty intense. They took a directional speaker and they pointed it at my aunt, my uncle's house. And so all night there was extremely loud bird noises playing. The Tracy's would take floodlights and they would strap them to the side of their house and they would shine them directly into the bedroom windows. All night my uncle started sleeping in the living room on the couch to try to escape that.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mr. Tracy had that L shaped fence. And we believe that he powered an infrared light from his garage through an extension cord and then hung that infrared light at the top of that L shape and projected that light back toward the Davis residence. It functionally blinded the video surveillance system of the Davises. We believe that to be the triggering event.

[Narrator]

But investigators still have to hear the Tracy's side of the story.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

It was a powder keg ready to explode. And when it did explode, someone who.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Was murdered the night that my uncle Tony actually decided to walk over there, he was just like, I give up. I just want this to end. I think that just kind of added fuel to the fire.

[Narrator]

Hours after Tony Davis was killed by his neighbor Lenny Paul Tracy, Tony's now widow, Cindy Davis, tells investigators how their decade long feud finally erupted into violence.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mrs. Davis said that she had been watching TV and fell asleep. And she was awoken by her husband in the morning hours. He told her he was going to go next door and ask his neighbor, Mr. Tracy to turn off that infrared light. She didn't think it was a big deal and she went back to sleep.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

A very short time later, she heard two loud gunshots in relatively quick succession. And she hurried over next door and found her husband lying on the front of the walkway of the Tracy residence towards the driveway. Mrs. Davis, seeing her husband with obvious gunshot wound, attempted to render aid. And at a certain point while she was doing this, she saw the front door open and Mr. Tracy, still armed with the shotgun, pointing the shotgun at her.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

She said Mr. Tracy told her to leave or the same thing would happen to her.

[Narrator]

Cindy says that's when she ran for help. Her nephew Josh describes what happened next.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

I had woke up to screaming. I ran across the lawn. My aunt Cindy's running back towards our house. She has the phone in her hand. And she's screaming, call 911. You know, they shot him. And I walk around the corner. That's when I saw the hole in his chest. And he was struggling to breathe. I kind of put my back towards Tracy and, you know, to kind of shield my uncle, he had the door half open and he was screaming something out of it. I didn't really hear it. And by that time, everybody was kind of showing up.

[Narrator]

After collecting Cindy and Josh's statements, detectives attempt to question Lenny Paul Tracy at the police station where he's being held.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

You have the right to remain silent. Okay. Anything you say may be used against your court. Do you understand?

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Yes.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Based on that, did you want to talk to us at this time?

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

I would rather have an attorney present. Because of the way I was treated at my home and the circumstances around this.

[Narrator]

Lenny remains in custody while investigators determine exact charges. His wife Sandra is more forthcoming. According to her, the real villains in this situation are the Davises.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mrs. Tracy indicated that the entirety of the problems stemmed from the Davises. They hadn't done anything offensive or vandalized or done any of the things that they were accused of by the Davises.

[Sandra Tracy]

They just became really horrible, strange. I just called them the neighbors from hell for ever. My husband would be mowing the lawn and then all of a sudden he'd feel some. Something hit him on the head and shoulders and he was throwing things at him. Davis seemed to do it more when I wasn't around, so there was no witness. But he became so much more emboldened. This man had. Davis has stalked me. We have proof that he has stalked me. And my husband told me I wasn't allowed to take walks in the neighborhood any longer.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Mrs. Tracy described fear of Mr. Davis, but yet there was nothing to indicate that there was overt acts or any acts of violence.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mr. Davis at one point was filming Mr. And Mrs. Tracy trolling, for lack of a better word, but Mr. Davis was on the sidewalk.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

You would probably categorize most of these incidents as extremely petty complaints about eggings and acid on the grass. It also became clear in the interview that for much of this eight year feud, she was relying on information provided by her husband. And most of the things she cited would have the potential for innocent explanations and fell far short of a crime or a violation of the the restraining order.

[Narrator]

She claims the early morning shooting was Tony's fault.

[Sandra Tracy]

I didn't sleep well Friday night, and so I was up and down and up and down and up and down. All of a sudden I had gone in to go to the bathroom. My husband starts yelling at me. Sandy called the police. I said, what's happening? He said, somebody's out here. I'm hearing sounds, there's lights. Something made an incredibly loud noise into our. I don't know what it was like either a pounding or something hit the door with a lot of force.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

She did not personally see the confrontation, but was relayed to her by her husband that Mr. Davis had forced entry into the location and then he had no choice but to shoot.

[Sandra Tracy]

I mean, I don't want anybody to be harmed, but oh my God. I just. My husband kept warning everybody, you know, something's gonna happen. It's getting worse.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Upon finishing the interview with Mrs. Tracy, Detective Wakata and I formed the opinion that she was not a principal in the crime that had occurred that evening. And we didn't detain her any further.

[Narrator]

Now it's up to detectives to figure out who's telling the truth. Truth.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Is this a legitimate justified shooting or is this a murder?

[Narrator]

Coming up, detectives find evidence of a cover up.

[Investigator or Analyst]

Someone took out the tape out of the recorder and tried to hide it.

[Narrator]

And the Tracy's own words come back to haunt them.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

What the hell are you doing?

[Narrator]

Investigators have heard two different stories about the events that led to Lenny Paul Tracy shooting Tony Davis. The question is, which one the evidence will support.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

What it came down to quickly was was this a valid self defense or was this a murder? And so many of the things that we were doing were trying to prove one way or another.

[Narrator]

Less than 12 hours after the shooting, detectives are back at the Tracy's home looking for specific evidence.

[Investigator or Analyst]

We were looking for any other ammunition for the shotgun. We were looking for video recordings because they had cameras and recording devices.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

There was a VHS tape deck that was affixed to the camera system to record. And notably a VHS tape was not in there. It was empty. But in the living room, there was a VHS tape sitting in a reclining chair.

[Investigator or Analyst]

So prior to the deputies arriving there, someone took the tape out of the recorder and tried to hide it. And there's only two people that were inside the house. That was Mr. And Mrs. Tracy.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

If it was a legitimate self defense and you had the tape to prove it, you would say, please come see the tape. It'll show. It'll justify everything that I've described to you. The fact that that was removed gave us pause. We recovered video from both locations. The Davis's system was a little more sophisticated than the Tracy's.

[Narrator]

Between the residence's multiple camera angles, investigators Watch as Tony crosses from one property to the other. Around 3am.

[Investigator or Analyst]

You can see Mr. Davis walking. I believe he was in like shorts and a big T shirt. The Tracy's surveillance video that covers the front door area, front porch and the walkway that proceeds to the front door. He was walking to the front. You don't actually see the front door.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Mr. Tracy is off camera, but you can see a blast. And then it becomes quite clear that Mr. Davis is shot forward of the front door and that he turned around to flee and was shot a second time, which he dropped.

[Investigator or Analyst]

When you're confronting someone and you shoot them in the chest, I could understand the. You could say that it was self defense, we're afraid, or what have you. But after you shoot someone in the chest and the person turns around and runs away from you and you shoot him again, it no longer becomes self defense.

[Narrator]

Forensic analysis of the physical evidence highlights more inconsistencies in Lenny's story.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

If there was a struggle, we would imagine most likely Mr. Davis would have had either scratches or singeing. The coroner's investigation revealed there was nothing to indicate that there was a struggle over the weapon or with Mr. Tracy.

[Narrator]

A review of the 911 call Sandra Tracy made right after the shooting is equally incriminating.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Instead of Mrs. Tracy thanking her husband for protecting her, Mrs. Tracy was upset with her husband.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Seriously?

[Narrator]

How was he injured? Oh, just get an ambulance and a cop up here.

[Neighbor or Witness]

Okay, hold on.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

What the hell are you? All I know is just somebody's bang on the door and what the hell put the cat to light. Jesus Christ. I don't believe you.

[Investigator or Analyst]

I didn't perceive the 911 call as a I'm in imminent danger. Help me, please. It was, it was more, I'm being bothered. There's no empathy, there's no sorrow. It was more like she was angry.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

After a careful evaluation of the evidence and review of witness statements and also looking at video, it became quite clear that this case was anything but self defense. The only logical explanation was that Mr. Tracy willfully executed Mr. Davis. And when we took this case to the DA's office, they concurred with our assessment.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Under California law, you have a right to self defense, but you can only defend yourself if it's reasonable under the circumstances. When you look at the entirety of all the evidence, it was Mr. Tracy that had been the aggressor toward Mr. Davis. He wasn't defending himself or his wife.

[Narrator]

On September 27, 2011, three days after he killed Tony Davis, Lenny Paul Tracy is Charged with one count of first degree murder and one count of assault for threatening Cindy dav Even though he didn't shoot her.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Presenting the weapon as he did would be an assault with a deadly weapon.

[Investigator or Analyst]

It never should have gotten to the point where someone died behind this. It's ridiculous.

[Narrator]

On October 24, 2012, opening arguments in Lenny Paul Tracy's murder trial begin.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The prosecution theory of the case going into trial was pretty simple. It was that Mr. Tracy hated his neighbor and that he set a trap for Mr. Davis. He baited that trap, and when Mr. Davis fell into the trap, Mr. Tracy made him pay for his life.

[Narrator]

Lenny's attorneys maintain that Lenny acted as in self defense and they surprised the prosecution by having Lenny take the stand.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

It was unclear what the defendant was going to say, and that was a problem for the prosecution. What Mr. Tracy did testify was that he didn't know who it was that he was shooting. He said that he had heard that there had been a rash of burglaries in his neighborhood and he feared that the person on the outside was a potential burglar.

[Narrator]

But the DA insists Lenny knew exactly who he was shooting at, and the state has the evidence to prove it.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

Mr. Tracy's surveillance system was a little bit outdated and only worked if somebody pressed record. And here somebody had pressed record because it actually captured some images before the shooting. Mr. Davis was outside for some period of time before the shooting happened. And if you could see it on the video, it meant that Mr. Tracy also knew who the victim was. Prior to the shooting, there was a.

[Investigator or Analyst]

Porch light that lit the front porch area. And under those lighting conditions, it would have been impossible for Mr. Tracy not to recognize Mr. Davis.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

If you were really afraid and you heard somebody on the outside and you thought they were going to intrude into your house, you would be in a secure location, guarding the house instead of opening the door and coming outside.

[Narrator]

The most damning evidence against Lenny is what he did after the shooting.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The LASD detectives made an important discovery when they found the VCR tape had been taken out of the vcr. It had been hidden. Hiding that evidence demonstrates consciousness of guilt because Mr. Tracy understood what was on that videotape was going to undercut his eventual argument or his statement at trial.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Was clear that Mr. Tracy had absolutely no empathy for Mr. Davis.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

As I mentioned to the jury, in this case, there's no doubt that Mr. Davis could have taken better action that night, and he didn't exercise the best judgment. He may have committed a trespass. However, nobody deserves to die because of that. Mr. Tracy is not the judge, jury and executioner on his property.

[Narrator]

On November 7, 2012, the jury renders itself.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The jury agreed that he was guilty of first degree murder. Mr. Tracy had acted premeditated, deliberately and willfully to kill Mr. Davis. He was also found guilty of committing an assault with a weapon or a firearm against Mrs. Davis as well. When Mr. Tracy opened the door, pointed the gun at her, and told her to leave the property.

[Narrator]

On May 10, 2013, Lenny Paul Tracy is sentenced from 50 years to life for the murder of Tony Davis, plus an additional 14 years for assault on Cindy Davis.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

I think he deserved much more, you know, especially for the predatory behavior, the consistent attacks, the constant harassment.

[Narrator]

For the better part of a decade, Lenny Paul Tracy and Tony Davis battled each other. In the end, neither of them won.

[Detective or Law Enforcement]

The most tragic part of this case is that they could have been best friends. And instead, one person lost his life and the other one will be spending his life in prison.

[Investigator or Police Officer]

Sandra Tracy left the neighborhood, moved on, but Mrs. Davis has remained behind in the residence and has the support of her family and most of the neighbors.

[Family Member of Tony Davis (Nephew or Niece)]

Losing Tony is, you know, it's tragic, and that's definitely somebody that you can never replace or get back. But having, like, having that person in your life, even if it was for a short period of time, is what the lasting impact is. He was really kind to a lot of people. He always wanted to give somebody a chance, you know, to do better. So that's how he's always going to be remembered.

[Narrator]

In 2014, Lenny Paul Tracy filed an appeal, but his conviction was upheld. He will be eligible for parole in 2031 at the age of 71. Sandra Tracy was never charged with any crime.