The Brief

A 25-year-old man, Keonte Gathron, was convicted of murdering 89-year-old Yik Oi “Huang Popo” Huang.

Prosecuotrs said he beat and robbed Huang during her morning exercises, then burglarized her home.

Huang died a year later from complications related to her injuries.

SAN FRANCISCO – A young man has been found guilty of murder in the brutal beating of an 89-year-old woman who died a year after the attack.

Verdict

What we know

Keonte Gathron, 25, was convicted Tuesday in the killing of Yik Oi “Huang Popo” Huang, who was robbed near her Visitacion Valley home in January 2019.

Gathron was also found guilty of nearly two dozen other crimes against people of Asian ancestry, including carjackings and robberies in the weeks leading up to Huang’s death and weeks following, according to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

Gathron, who represented himself, denied responsibility for eight crimes, including the murder of Huang. A jury ultimately found him guilty.

While Gathron’s victims were all of Asian ancestry, prosecutors argued the motive was financial gain.

The Attack

The backstory

Huang had stepped outside to do her daily exercises at the Visitacion Valley Playground when she was attacked.

After beating and robbing the elderly woman, authorities said Gathron went to Huang’s nearby home and burglarized it.

Huang was found on Raymond Avenue, a few blocks from her home, bloodied, disoriented, and suffering from severe head injuries. She died a year later, in January 2020, from complications related to her injuries.

The park where the attack occurred was later renamed Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park in honor of the woman.

Victim’s family reacts

What they’re saying

Huang’s family said the guilty verdict brings some closure and hopes that residents will feel safer in their communities.

“I hope that this case of closure will bring out a good message to the community that the local people, the local families, will bring about a safer environment for Asians and other minorities as well,” said Jeremy Lu, the victim’s grandson.

The park where the attack occurred was later renamed Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park in honor of the woman.

Gathron’s sentencing is set for Nov. 25. He faces life in prison.