A San Francisco man was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder and more than a dozen violent crimes over a two-week spree in 2019.
A jury found Keonte Gathron, 25, guilty of first-degree murder committed during a robbery and burglary, along with eight counts of robbery, kidnapping for robbery, two counts of carjacking, two counts of burglary, elder abuse, and child endangerment. Jurors also found that Gathron used a firearm in three of the incidents.
The crimes included the brutal beating of Yik Oi Huang, who was found wounded on Jan. 8, 2019, in a Visitacion Valley park that she regularly visited. Huang, an 89-year-old grandmother, died more than a year after the attack.
According to prosecutors, Gathron robbed seven people over 13 days in January 2019, choosing victims who were elderly, young, or appeared vulnerable. Six of his victims were Asian, and many spoke little or no English. Authorities said they included three seniors and three juveniles walking to or from school.
“Mr. Gathron is now being held accountable for his crimes that terrorized so many in our community,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. “My office is committed to fighting for justice in every case for as long as it takes.”
Two weeks after Huang’s assault, police announced Gathron’s arrest. The assault shook the city, particularly the Asian American community, which clamored for a tougher stance against crime and launched the Stop Asian Hate movement. San Francisco officials honored Huang by renaming the park after her.
Assistant DA Nathan Quigley said the victims showed “inspiring” courage by testifying against Gathron, who represented himself at trial. “Each of the surviving victims and witnesses not only had to directly face their assailant … but did so through the use of interpreters, where so much can be lost in translation,” Quigley said.
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Gathron remains in custody. Sentencing is set for Nov. 25.