Crime & Safety
Convicted Man Faces 2 Life Sentences For 2019 Murder, String Of Violent Robberies
A San Francisco judge intends to sentence 25-year-old Keonte Gathron to two life terms, plus an additional 31 years in state prison.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco judge intends to sentence a 25-year-old man to two life terms -- including one without the possibility of parole -- plus 31 additional years in state prison for a 2019 murder and a series of violent robberies that targeted some of the city's most vulnerable residents.
Judge Eric Fleming is expected to finalize the sentence for Keonte Gathron on Dec. 3, following the jury convictions handed down earlier this month, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in a statement Tuesday.
Gathron was found guilty on Nov. 4 of first-degree murder, eight robberies, kidnapping for robbery, two carjackings, two burglaries, elder abuse and child endangerment. Jurors also found that he personally used a gun during three of the crimes.
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"Mr. Gathron is now being held accountable for his heinous crimes that targeted vulnerable victims and will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole," District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. "While nothing can bring Grandma Huang back to her family, today's sentence hopefully leaves the victims and their families with a sense that justice was done."
According to testimony at trial, Gathron robbed seven people in just 13 days in January 2019. Prosecutors said he focused on victims who were elderly or minors walking to or from school. Six victims were Asian, many of whom spoke little or no English. He reportedly chose victims who were alone, distracted and physically small.
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Assistant District Attorney Nathan Quigley, who prosecuted the case, said the crimes had "an outsize impact on our whole city."
"No verdict or sentence could ever fill the hole left when a loved one is taken from us violently," Quigley said. "I hope the sentence to be imposed gives each of the people victimized by this man, as well as the family of Ms. Huang, a sense of closure and some measure of justice."
Gathron remains in custody ahead of his December sentencing.
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