After a short hearing before Care Court creator and lead judge Michael Begert, a motion for mental health diversion by the San Francisco Public Defenders Office in the Troy McAlister case was set for Oct. 28, 2025.
Before the hearing, residents, activists, and community leaders assembled on the steps at the Hall of Justice to demand a criminal trial for McAlister in the killings of Hanako Abe and Elizabeth Platt, who they say were failed by the City of San Francisco and California state leadership. Speakers included Asian Hate activist Forrest Liu (author of Asian Voices for The Voice), Blueprint for a Better San Francisco director Scotty Jacobs, The Voice court and justice columnist Liz Le, community leaders Lily Ho and Marie Hurabiell, and supporters from as far away as Reno, Nev.
For Abe’s mother, Hiroko Abe, the frustration is palpable. With help from a translator, she wrote a statement, which The Voice of San Francisco has printed below in its entirety with her permission.
On Dec. 31, 2020, at approximately 4 p.m., police officers responded to a vehicle collision that struck two pedestrians, 60-year-old Platt and 27-year-old Abe, at 2nd and Mission Streets. Both victims died. The driver tried to escape on foot, but officers were able to arrest Troy McAlister, who was fleeing from a burglary in a car he stole from a “date” the night before.
McAlister was booked for driving a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, running a red light, speeding, hit and run, manslaughter, burglary, resisting arrest, driving under the influence of drugs, DUI causing injury, possession of methamphetamines, possession of methamphetamines for sale, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a large capacity firearm magazine.
And, it turns out, McAlister had also been arrested for multiple felonies on June 28, Aug. 20, Oct. 15, Nov. 6, and Dec. 20, for which he served a combined 11 days in jail. At the time, he was wearing an ankle monitor and out on parole after then-District Attorney Chesa Boudin freed him in a plea deal.
Boudin didn’t charge McAlister for any of the five arrests after his release. Just 11 days after the fifth incident, in which McAlister was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, two counts of possession of stolen property, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia, McAlister killed Abe and Platt.
McAlister, who has over 100 felonies throughout multiple counties in a criminal career spanning 30 years, is the poster boy for someone who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.
In a statement to the press after the short hearing, Deputy Public Defender Scott Grant expressed his and McAlister’s condolences. He said if either the Abe or the Platt family is interested, “McAlister wants to apologize.” Grant said his office wants a “multi-year treatment plan with long-term residential placement and an ankle monitor,” stating that it was “proper and reasonable” to pursue diversion for his client. “Research tells us again and again that intensive, targeted treatment for people’s underlying problems — not incarceration — fosters long-term safety.”
When asked by Voice of San Francisco reporter Erica Sandberg if he believed the McAlister case didn’t deserve punishment, Grant responded, “I’m here to represent Mr. McAlister.” When Sandberg pointed out that diversion wasn’t punishment and asked again whether or not he believed the case “deserved an actual punishment,” Grant said he didn’t understand the question and quickly turned away.
According to Grant, the public defender’s office was set for a preliminary hearing seven months ago. “In a preliminary hearing, there is an opportunity, and in this case, there are a number of overcharged counts, for us to ask the judge to dismiss those counts … instead the district attorney convened a ‘secret grand jury,’ where the defense is not allowed to be present … and so they actually dismissed the case that was filed back in 2021 and refiled the grand jury case that only began in March of this year.”
Meanwhile, assistant district attorney Kourtney Bell, who was the losing prosecutor on the infamous Don Carmignani beating case, chose to appear via Zoom, missing a major opportunity to defend the position of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and speak to the press about why he believes McAlister’s case should proceed to a criminal trial.
Grant refused to address California Vehicle Code Section 23640, which makes McAlister ineligible for diversion of any kind. It states that in any case where a person is charged with a violation of Sections 23152 or 23153 prior to acquittal or conviction, “the court shall neither suspend nor stay the proceedings for allowing the accused to attend or participate in any education, training, or treatment programs … including treatment for alcohol or drug-related issues.” The District Attorney’s Office plans to argue this statute at the hearing on Oct. 28.
California vehicle codes aside, McAlister, who has over 100 felonies throughout multiple counties in a criminal career spanning 30 years, is the poster boy for someone who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.
For Abe’s mother, Hiroko Abe, the frustration is palpable. With help from a translator, she wrote a statement, which The Voice of San Francisco has printed below in its entirety with her permission.
‘A MAN-CHILD WHO STARTED DOING DRUGS AT AGE 15’
In a 253-page document I obtained in 2021, it’s clear the system failed Troy McAlister through decades of coddling, offering him multiple chances to turn his life around that he didn’t deserve. In a bail motion for the 2015 robbery, the Public Defender’s Office (under the late Jeff Adachi) paints a picture of a man-child who started doing drugs at age 15 and was never able to hold down a job.
Though it would be convenient to blame his background, you can’t.
McAlister’s mother, Sylvia, worked as a Senior Deputy Clerk for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for 35 years. While his father died when he was young, Troy grew up in a “middle-class household” where he was enrolled in private school through junior high. His younger brother, Derek, graduated from college and worked as a freelance cameraman for outlets including MTV and BET, as well as for a company in Silicon Valley. His uncle Leroy Jones, who worked in IT for the City and County of San Francisco, was also a presence in his life.
Troy has four children and two grandchildren, and he “cares deeply for them,” according to family testimony. He worked with his brother briefly, did inventory at Goodwill as part of a diversion program for six months in 2004, and completed another six-month stint in 2006. At the time, his attorneys said McAlister was dependent on General Assistance benefits, but he planned to “stay out of trouble and would like to try working in one of the oil refineries in the area.”
So why did Troy McAlister become a career criminal? According to his public defender, he was “surviving and making ends meet by the various crimes he committed.” His previous employment didn’t work out because “it was minimum wage, and he was using hard drugs to cope with his lifestyle.”
The documents also indicate McAlister was in trouble as a juvenile, with his adult crimes starting in 1995 with second-degree robbery and possession of cocaine for sale. He was in and out of custody, but his offenses turned violent around 2004 when he was arrested for battery of a former spouse. In 2005 and 2006, there were attempted carjackings, in 2007, grand theft from a person, in 2008, transporting and selling drugs, in 2009, robbery, and in 2010, robbery in the first degree.
On Dec. 11, 2015, despite McAlister’s long and violent record, the Public Defender’s Office asked the Court to release him to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center. The District Attorney’s Office (then helmed by George Gascon) pointed out that McAlister was in possession of methamphetamine and committed a robbery — as well as battery on a police officer — all while out on parole. “The defendant has a history of violent felony convictions dating back to 1995 and has sustained many convictions,” Gascon said. “In the current case, the defendant is charged with an allegation of commission of offense while on parole pursuant to Penal Code section 1203.085(a), three 667(e) allegations for prior strikes, three 607(a) allegations, and six prison priors pursuant to Penal Code section 667.5(0). As a result of the charged offenses, the defendant’s exposure in State Prison is approximately thirty-five years to life in prison.”
Over the next five years, McAlister sat in county jail while various attorneys came and went, hearings were held, and proceedings were delayed. In 2019, Gascon stepped down to move back to his hometown of Los Angeles, where he ran for District Attorney and won. He was defeated in his bid for reelection because voters considered him soft on crime, making his stance on McAlister even more remarkable. Boudin eked out a win against three moderate candidates to replace Gascon, but was recalled in 2022, with the McAlister case fueling his demise.
When I interviewed Hiroko Abe in 2021, she told me about the day she asked Boudin why he made the fateful decision to free McAlister, ultimately leading to her daughter Hanako’s death. “He said, ‘Because he worked hard and got his GED in jail.’ I told him a GED has nothing to do with whether this person is rehabilitated and ready to be put back into society, and he didn’t respond. I also told him it appears that McAlister is a habitual drug user. In Japan, even after you serve your sentence there is mandatory rehabilitation you must go through before you are released into society. Boudin said in America it is the same; that once you are released you are put into a rehab system, and it looks like the people in charge of rehabilitation should have known the level of addiction that McAlister had and may not have read that properly. He said the rehab people erred in their judgment. But I asked him, ‘Didn’t you know how the system as a whole works? And knowing how the system works, why would you release him?’ Boudin just did a non-response response and apologized.”
Here is Hiroko Abe’s statement, in both English and Japanese, on the request by the Public Defenders’ motion to send McAlister to diversion rather than prison:
Statement of Hanako Abe’s Mother, Hiroko Abe
September 22, 2025
Nearly five years have passed since the tragic loss of my daughter, Hanako.
The request to refer the case to the Mental Health Diversion/Drug Court at this late stage appears to be nothing more than an attempt to evade responsibility for the crimes.
Such a referral denies the opportunity to appropriately face the crimes diminishes accountability. I must therefore ask: Is it a mental health program that is truly necessary for the defendant? If the purpose is to mitigate the severity of punishment, then the referral will only derail the defendant from the path toward genuine happiness and fulfillment as a human being.
When former District Attorney Boudin explained the defendant’s situation to us, we were informed that he had already completed a drug treatment program. If that statement were accurate, then it would be evident that the treatment was ineffective. Such treatment proved ineffective, as evidenced by his subsequent commission of serious crimes.
The defendant has an extensive record of repeated offenses. Even after being granted parole, he committed further crimes, which ultimately resulted in the deaths of Elizabeth and Hanako. This was not an accident caused by his negligence. The defendant’s decision to flee the scene afterwards further demonstrates that he must bear the grave responsibility of his actions.
The defendant must confront these truths with utmost sincerity. He must carry the weight of the lives that were lost and the sanctity of human life for the rest of his own life, and he must choose to live righteously with a deep sense of responsibility.
My family continues to suffer profound grief over the loss of our daughter. The defendant must reflect not only on the future that was taken from Hanako, but also on the lasting impact on our family’s lives. In making its decision with integrity and dignity, we respectfully urge the Court to deny his request for the case to be referred to the Mental Health Diversion/Drug Court.
We do not seek misfortune for the defendant. Rather, we ask that he reflect deeply on what path truly constitutes happiness and genuine responsibility as a human being.
Respectfully submitted,
Hiroko Abe, Mother of Hanako Abe
華子の事件から５年目を迎えようとしています。
今になってメンタルヘルスプログラムに移行するということは、罪を回避しようとすること以外に考えられません。
プログラムの移行をすれば、冒した罪に正しく向き合わないということになり、責任も軽減することになるでしょう。犯人には本当に、メンタルヘルスプログラムが必要なのでしょうか。目的が罪の軽減であるならば、犯人は生涯人としての 幸せへの道から外れることとなります。
また、ブーデイン検事から犯人について説明を受けたときに、薬物からの影響の治療を受けて終了したと聞いておりました。ブーデイン検事から聞いたことが事実であるならば、治療が良い結果をもたらしたとは言えません。犯罪に対しては、治療は無意味だったということです。
犯人は再犯も多く、仮出所してからも罪を重ねて、エリザベスさんと華子を死なせてしまいました。それは過失とは言えない事故であり、その後に逃げた事実はとても甚大な責任を負うべきものです。
真摯に向き合い、命の大切さを生涯にわたって重く感じながら、自らは真っ当に生きていくべきだと思います。
私たち家族は今もなお、娘を亡くした悲しみに暮れています。犯人は、娘が失った将来と、その後の私たち家族の人生がどうなっているかも考えなくてはなりません。
そして、正しく向き合うために、自らこのプログラムへの移行を取り下げることを望みます。
私たち家族は、犯人の不幸を望むものではありません。人として、何が幸せとなる道かを熟慮していただきたいのです。
阿部華子の母、阿部博子