With jury selection completed on Friday, the trial of Keonte Gathron for the murder of 88-year-old ‘Grandma’ Yik Oi Huang starts on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, nearly seven years after Gathron’s arrest. The proceedings will take place in Dept. 26 at the San Francisco Hall of Justice (850 Bryant Street) starting at 9 a.m. before Judge Eric Fleming, who told potential jurors their service would be completed by Oct. 31.
The brutal attack happened before the rise in attacks on Asian Americans, particularly elders, that prompted the Stop Asian Hate movement. Eighteen when he committed the crime, the now 25-year-old Gathron has been in jail awaiting trial after numerous delays, but in a surprise turn of events, Gathron has decided to forgo his attorneys from the Public Defender’s Office and represent himself.
While it may sound unusual, it is legal, though judges must assess whether a defendant is competent to represent themselves. Factors Judge Fleming must consider include Gathron’s age, education level, and familiarity with legal procedures. Fleming also must ensure that Gathron understands the seriousness of the charges and the risks involved in Self-representation.
BRUTAL ATTACK AND CRIME SPREE
On Jan. 8, 2019, prosecutors say Gathron brutally beat Huang at a Visitacion Valley playground she regularly visited for morning exercise. According to police, Gathron then burglarized her home across the street until a witness appeared, causing him to flee.
Court records state that police responded to find Huang unconscious in a sandbox, bleeding heavily from numerous injuries to her head. Officers discovered a pool of blood near the playground’s entrance, along with a black glove and a bloody napkin. Paramedics rushed Huang to a hospital for a skull fracture, bleeding on the brain, and facial fractures.
Eight days after the vicious attack on Huang, police received a report of a man whose car was stolen at gunpoint just six blocks from Huang’s residence. A San Francisco sheriff’s deputy found the abandoned car nine hours later at a gas station on San Bruno Avenue, according to Cmdr. Greg McEachern.
Three days after the carjacking, Gathron allegedly robbed two teenagers of their phones in San Francisco. He biked up to a 14-year-old girl as she walked down Woolsey Street and robbed her of her cell phone at gunpoint. Just one hour later, Gathron allegedly rode up to a 17-year-old girl near the Muni station at Belle and St. Charles Avenues, punched her in the face, and fled with her iPhone.
Of Gathron’s seven victims, five were Asian. Officers traced one of the phones back to a residence in San Francisco’s Sunnydale neighborhood, where they found Gathron hiding in a car and arrested him.
Crime lab investigators used DNA evidence to link Gathron to the carjacking and subsequent crimes, including what appears to be a sexual assault on Huang. While then-SFPD Chief Bill Scott couldn’t offer details, he acknowledged that Gathron had a juvenile arrest record. “What I can say is his actions speak to someone who doesn’t value human life very much,” Scott said at a news conference.
DELAYS ON BOTH SIDES
Then-District Attorney George Gascón charged Gathron with a litany of crimes including attempted murder. After Huang passed away in 2020, the medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, listing the cause of death as complications of multiple blunt force injuries. Then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin changed Gathron’s attempted murder charge to murder.
Brooke Jenkins, who succeeded Boudin after he was recalled, said in a Jan. 2024 statement that her office was ready to move forward and that she was frustrated over the numerous delays, which she blamed on Gathron’s defense team. “My office stands ready to proceed,” Jenkins said. “The defense almost entirely controls the speed at which cases move through the criminal justice system.”
The prosecution of Antoine Watson, the then-19-year-old who pushed 84-year-old Thai American “Grandpa” Vicha Ratanapakdee to his death in Jan. 2021, is also still pending after numerous delays.
The attorneys for Watson and Gathron issued a joint statement in response to the statement from Jenkins saying that both cases are complex and serious and therefore require a lot of preparation. They also said since both suspects were arrested when they were young, Watson and Gathron both “have the right to due process and a zealous defense.”
According to court records, Gathron’s attorneys requested additional time because they “needed to consult with experts of forensic evidence to be adequately prepared for trial.”
Now, nearly seven years after his arrest, Gathron has decided to represent himself.
Yik Oi means “abundant love” in Cantonese. On a website dedicated to Huang’s memory, her supporters and loved ones say they wanted to rename the park where she was attacked in her honor as Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park (it was renamed and dedicated June 15, 2024).
“Together, we will create a joyous, inclusive, safe, equitable space for generations to thrive in this diverse and beloved community. This park will be like kintsugi,” they explain. Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold. It reminds us that something can break and yet still be beautiful, and that, once repaired, it is stronger at the broken places. This is an incredible metaphor for healing and recovery from adversity.”
This article has been updated.