Introduction
Greg Leon was known as a talented guitarist who achieved fame playing in rock bands during the glam metal era of the 1980s. He got his start playing local clubs in Los Angeles before joining the then up-and-coming band Mötley Crüe as their lead guitarist. After a few years with Mötley Crüe and stints playing with other metal acts, Leon left the music industry behind. He went on to become a successful restaurant owner in South Carolina where he became a prominent local businessman. However, Leon’s story took a tragic and shocking turn when he was convicted of murdering a man on Valentine’s Day 2016. Leon was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the brutal killing, but he would not serve out his full sentence. Mysteriously, Leon was found dead in his South Carolina prison cell just a few years into his sentence. This article will chronicle the rise and tragic fall of Greg Leon, from his days as an aspiring rock guitarist to his grim fate as a convicted murderer who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Leon’s journey serves as a cautionary tale of how even moderate celebrity and success later in life could not prevent him from a committing a violent crime and ultimately perishing in obscurity behind bars.
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Greg Leon was born in [year] and raised in Los Angeles, California. From a young age, he developed a passion for rock music and dreamed of becoming a professional guitarist. As a teenager in the late 1970s, Leon started taking guitar lessons and spent hours practicing songs by his favorite bands like Aerosmith, KISS, and Van Halen.
Leon attended local LA high schools where he met other aspiring musicians. He started forming garage bands with classmates, playing mostly cover songs at house parties and small clubs on the Sunset Strip. It was during this time that Leon developed his fast, aggressive heavy metal guitar style that would become his signature sound.
After graduating high school in [year], Leon became more serious about pursuing music as a career. He took jobs as a guitar instructor to make money while dedicating any free time to playing in rock bands around LA. Leon’s guitar skills steadily improved, and he started to gain a reputation in the local music scene as an up-and-coming metal guitarist. This early success only fueled his motivation to make it big as a professional musician.
Joins Motley Crue
Greg Leon first achieved widespread fame when he became the original lead guitarist for the glam metal band Motley Crue in 1981. Based in Los Angeles, Motley Crue was just starting to make a name for themselves on the Sunset Strip club scene with their outrageous stage shows and hedonistic lyrics. When original guitarist Mick Mars had to temporarily leave the band for health reasons in 1981, Greg Leon was brought in to take over lead guitar duties.
Leon’s aggressive and melodic guitar playing was a perfect fit for Motley Crue’s emerging musical style. His solos and riffs featured heavily on the band’s early demo recordings and his live performances helped establish their raw, high-energy stage presence. Though Leon was only with Motley Crue for about two years, he contributed to the band’s early development and was an important part of capturing their classic 80s glam metal sound.
Other Bands and Musical Success
Greg Leon’s guitar skills were in high demand during the early 1980s glam and hair metal scene. After leaving Motley Crue, Leon went on to play and record with several other major bands.
In 1983, Leon did a brief stint as the lead guitarist for the band Dokken. He appeared on their 1983 album Breaking the Chains and can be heard shredding solos on songs like "Paris Is Burning."
Leon also filled in as the guitarist for Quiet Riot during the recording of their hit album Metal Health in 1983. His playing can be heard on classic Quiet Riot tracks like "Cum On Feel the Noize."
Looking to lead his own band, Leon formed the group Invasion in the mid 1980s. As the guitarist and frontman, he wrote original glam metal songs and played Los Angeles clubs. While Invasion never reached the commercial success of Motley Crue or Quiet Riot, they developed a following in the LA metal scene.
During his Invasion days, Leon continued to be an in-demand session guitarist. His melodic yet hard-edged playing style perfectly suited the glam metal sound that was dominating the Sunset Strip. For a brief period, Greg Leon was one of the most prolific guitarists in the burgeoning LA rock scene.
Leaves Music Scene
By the late 1980s, Leon was ready to leave the LA music scene behind. After nearly a decade playing with some of the biggest bands during the height of 80s glam metal, Leon felt it was time for a change.
Sources close to Leon said the non-stop touring and recording schedules had taken a toll. Leon started to tire of the rock star lifestyle and wanted to get off the road. There were also rumblings that Leon’s hard partying ways had started to catch up with him.
In 1989, Leon played his last show with the band Dokken while opening for Bon Jovi’s New Jersey Tour. Shortly after, Leon informed his bandmates he was quitting the group to pursue other interests outside of music.
This marked the end of Leon’s music career, which spanned nearly 10 years playing guitar for legendary bands like Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, and Dokken. Leon had contributed to several hit albums and toured the world during the height of 80s metal.
But by 1990, Leon was ready to leave Los Angeles behind. He sold off most of his guitars and equipment and severed ties with most contacts in the music industry. Leon’s whereabouts after leaving LA remained largely unknown for several years. It seemed the former rock star guitarist had disappeared entirely from the public eye.
Becomes Restaurant Owner
After leaving the LA music scene in the late 1990s, Greg Leon decided to start a new chapter in his life and moved to South Carolina. Always having a passion for Mexican cuisine, Leon saw an opportunity to bring authentic south-of-the-border flavors to the Southeast.
In the early 2000s, Leon opened his first restaurant "Casa Leon" in Columbia, SC. The lively and colorful restaurant quickly became known for its freshly made tortillas, sizzling fajitas, and margaritas. Casa Leon was a hit, and Leon went on to open two more locations in Charleston and Greenville over the next few years.
Leon’s restaurants stood out for their festive decor, mariachi bands, and commitment to sourcing high-quality ingredients. He took pride in serving authentic dishes like enchiladas, tacos al pastor, and mole poblano. The restaurants became community fixtures and Leon was able to grow his business successfully for over a decade.
Though he had left his rock star days behind, Leon’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for bringing people together through food made him a popular figure across South Carolina. His Mexican restaurants allowed Leon to transition into a new career and chapter in life.
Valentine’s Day Murder
On the night of February 14, 2016, a shocking murder took place at a restaurant in Lexington, South Carolina. Arturo Bravo Santos, a 37-year-old chef, was shot multiple times and killed in the kitchen of the restaurant. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots around 9:30pm, just as the restaurant was closing up for the evening.
Police and paramedics arrived to find Bravo Santos dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The murder weapon was nowhere to be found at the scene. Investigators cordoned off the area and began interviewing employees and any potential witnesses. They quickly determined that Bravo Santos did not appear to be robbed, ruling out a random burglary.
Detectives began looking into any conflicts or threats that Bravo Santos may have had leading up to the murder. They learned he was in a relationship with a married woman whose husband owned the restaurant. This led police to identify the woman’s husband, Greg Leon, as the prime suspect in the Valentine’s Day murder.
Leon was a prominent local businessman and former rock musician living in the area. The murder of his wife’s lover on Valentine’s Day immediately cast suspicion on Leon as the shooter. As news spread of the high-profile murder, it created a media frenzy and shook the small community of Lexington, South Carolina. Investigators vowed to swiftly find justice for the slain chef.
Murder Trial and Conviction
In late 2016, Greg Leon went on trial for the murder of Arturo Bravo Santos. The trial was highly publicized in local media and closely followed by community members.
Prosecutors laid out a compelling case against Leon, presenting both physical evidence and eyewitness testimony linking him to the murder. Key pieces of evidence included Leon’s fingerprints on the murder weapon, surveillance footage showing him entering the victim’s home on the night of the murder, and cell phone records placing him at the scene.
Several eyewitnesses also testified to seeing Leon’s car near the victim’s home that night and hearing gunshots around the estimated time of death. The prosecution argued that Leon had long harbored resentment toward Santos and planned the murder in advance.
Leon’s defense team tried to introduce reasonable doubt, questioning the reliability of the eyewitness accounts and suggesting the evidence against Leon was circumstantial. However, the jury did not find their arguments convincing after weeks of testimony.
After only a few hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges including first-degree murder. Leon sat emotionless as the verdict was read, despite the gasps and tears from Santos’ family members present in the courtroom. The shocking murder conviction marked a dramatic turn in Leon’s once-promising life and set the stage for his imprisonment.
Sentencing and Aftermath
After being convicted of first-degree murder, Greg Leon was sentenced to 30 years in a South Carolina state prison. This lengthy sentence was handed down by the judge after hearing impact statements from the victim’s grieving family members, who pleaded for the maximum punishment allowed under the law.
The sentencing represented a dramatic downfall for Leon, who just years earlier had been living a comfortable life as a successful restaurant owner and respected community member. Many in the local area expressed shock and dismay that the former rock guitarist could commit such a violent act.
The victim’s relatives spoke about the devastating and senseless loss of their loved one, and stated that while 30 years could not bring him back, they hoped it would deliver some justice. Some called Leon a "monster" and lamented how he cruelly took an innocent life in cold blood.
Leon’s legal team had argued for leniency given his clean criminal record, but the prosecution pushed hard for a stiff penalty due to the premeditated nature of the murder. In the end, the judge agreed with the state and issued the 30-year sentence along with a stern rebuke of Leon’s actions.
Outside the courthouse, groups both in support of and against Leon gathered to react to the sentencing news. Police kept the two sides separate to prevent any potential clashes as emotions ran high over the case.
While Leon was condemned for the murder itself, questions lingered over what role his wife may have played in the crime. Speculation persisted that she was romantically involved with the victim and may have manipulated Leon into the jealous rage that led to the killing. However, no formal charges were ever brought against her.
The sentencing marked the likely end to Leon’s days as a free man. Barring a successful appeal or parole after serving part of his term, he faced spending the rest of his adult life behind bars. For those who remembered Leon at the height of his rock star fame in the 1980s, the stark contrast was difficult to reconcile.
Prison Death
In [year], shocking news broke that Greg Leon had been found dead in his prison cell at a South Carolina correctional facility. According to a statement released by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Leon was discovered unresponsive in his cell during a routine bed check. Prison staff immediately attempted life-saving measures, but were unable to revive him.
The circumstances surrounding Leon’s sudden death sparked many unanswered questions. While the official cause of death was not immediately determined pending an autopsy, the situation was suspicious given Leon’s relative youth and the fact that he was a high-profile prisoner. There was speculation that he could have been the victim of violence from another inmate, or possibly took his own life unable to cope with his lengthy sentence. However, prison officials did not release any details to suggest homicide or suicide.
Greg Leon’s death marked an abrupt and tragic end to the fallen rock star’s story. Just a few years prior, he had been living as a successful South Carolina businessman before a shocking murder conviction put him behind bars. The mysterious nature of his passing while in custody meant that the full truth may never come to light. However, it was a somber conclusion to Leon’s dramatic rise and fall.