It’s a nightmare made real.

An Eastside Costa Mesa resident awoke in the dead of night one spring to a burglar in his bedroom who then doused him in pepper spray. Somehow the homeowner found a nearby handgun and fired off several shots in the intruder’s direction.

On Friday Costa Mesa police detailed a caper that stretches from Los Angeles to Mexico over four years and involves a dead body in the back of a rented Cadillac, a fugitive art dealer, a string of burglaries and, of course, social media.

Police contend that days after that burglary-gone-awry in May of 2012 Los Angeles police discovered the decomposing body of 33-year-old Steven Simmons found wrapped in a painter’s tarp and plastic in the back of a rented Cadillac Escalade.

Simmons, a resident of Running Springs and the man shot by the homeowner in Costa Mesa, died from the gunshot wound to the chest at a Villa Park home and was taken to a West Hollywood art gallery where he was wrapped in canvas and plastic before ending up in the rental car.

Police tracked the SUV to a Los Angeles art dealer and gallery operator Jacob Anthonisen who posed with celebrities like Lindsay Lohan on social media. When authorities went looking for Anthonisen, he already cleared out his artist space, the Peanut Gallery. Costa Mesa police contend the Costa Mesa homeowner who shot Simmons knew Anthonisen from earlier art sales.

Thus began a years long investigation in which Costa Mesa police learned of a burglary ring involving Simmons, Anthonisen, another suspect 36-year-old Brent Buckner of Villa Park and a woman police haven’t identified. The foursome targeted people they knew and tracked them on Facebook. When someone posted they were away from home, police claim the suspects burglarized their friends’ homes.

In April of 2013 Costa Mesa police arrested Buckner in Orange. Buckner showed police where he sold his stolen goods in the jewelry district of Downtown Los Angeles. It was then that police learned Anthonisen was on the lam in Mexico. In October of that year Mexican authorities tracked Anthonisen to Ensenada, arrested him and turned him over to Costa Mesa detectives at the boarder.

In January of 2014 an apparent family member of Anthonisen’s started a fundraising page to help with his legal expenses writing “He is a creative smart, gentle, and loving person with many friends. Jacob is a good person in a bad situation everyone knows he is innocent but it is essential this is proved in court…”. The page raised $3,387.

In May last year Anthonisen pleaded guilty to one count of first degree burglary and was sentenced to two years behind bars. Last month Buckner pleaded guilty to four counts of first degree burglary and one count of attempted robbery. Buckner will be sentenced Oct. 7 this year. Police allege he was involved in burglaries in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Orange, Villa Park and Anaheim Hills.

The Orange County District Attorney’s office ruled Simmons’ death a justifiable homicide. The victim who shot Simmons in the burglary in the 2400 block of Elden Street hasn’t been identified.

Contact the writer: lwilliams@ocregister.com