A man from San Francisco has appealed for leniency from a judge after being sentenced for the murder of an elderly woman.
Keonte Gathron, aged 25, received a sentence of two life terms plus an additional 31 years in connection with the killing of 88-year-old Yik Oi Huang, along with a series of other crimes aimed at Asian individuals.
Despite entering a plea of not guilty, Gathron was found guilty by a jury earlier this month.
According to prosecutors, Gathron viciously assaulted Huang on January 9, 2019, at approximately 6 a.m. as she engaged in her morning exercises at a playground in Visitacion Valley, near her residence.
Huang passed away nearly a year later on January 3.
During his sentencing, Gathron addressed the court but did not express any remorse.
‘I’ve suffered a lot myself,’ he said, per KTVU. ‘I could relate to the pain, loss, suffering.’
Gathron added: ‘I’ve experienced that my entire life, so I understand, and I understand they feel and think I’m responsible, so I don’t have any ill feelings.’
Yik Oi Huang, 88, was brutally attacked on January 9, 2019, at a playground near her Visitacion Valley home
Huang died in January 2020, about one year after the brutal attack. The park she was attacked at was renamed the Yik Oi Huang Peace & Friendship Park in 2022
Keonte Gathron was sentenced to two life terms and a further 31 years in prison for the murder of Huang and a spree of other crimes
Gathron was 18 when he attacked the grandmother and left her with a broken neck, arms and skull.
He also robbed seven people during a 13-day span that January, with six of his victims being Asian.
Gathron targeted three seniors, as well as three others described as ‘juveniles’ who were on their way to or returning from school.
He targeted the victims ‘because they were alone, distracted and small,’ according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.
Police officers found Huang with ‘severe head injuries’ at the playground across from her Visitacion Avenue home when a burglary was reported at her residence.
She was rushed to hospital with life–threatening injuries, police said.
Huang died about one year after the brutal attack on January 3, 2020.
Huang’s family was in court for the sentencing, according to KTVU. Her granddaughter, Sasanna Yee, said Gathron did not take accountability, which was ‘upsetting’
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office said Gathron targeted the victims ‘because they were alone, distracted and small’
Her family said on GoFundMe that she had ‘suffered through the massive pain and had been clinging for her life courageously.’
They were at San Francisco Superior Court for the hearing and reacted to the sentence handed down by judge Eric Fleming.
‘I did not hear him say what I want to hear him say, which is take accountability, and so that’s upsetting,’ Sasanna Yee, Huang’s granddaughter, told KTVU.
Jeremy Lu, her grandson, said Gathron’s sentencing offered limited comfort.
‘It cannot bring back our grandma, and this will last forever,’ he told the outlet. ‘However, her love still remains.’
The park Huang was attacked at was renamed the Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park in 2022.
Gathron represented himself in court and baselessly claimed that police had used artificial intelligence to manipulate evidence such as surveillance video or DNA, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Gathron pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence during the trial. He represented himself in court
Gathron was charged with first-degree murder, eight counts of robbery, one count of kidnapping for robbery, two counts of carjacking, two counts of burglary, and elder abuse and child endangerment.
He pleaded not guilty and continually maintained his innocence during the trial.
On Tuesday, Gathron was sentenced to 31 years in prison, followed by two consecutive life sentences without parole, according to American Community Media.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office said Gathron’s sentence would be finalized on December 3.
