SAN FRANCISCO—On October 1, 2026, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced that Joseph Stevens, 42, had been sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Each of these terms will be followed by additional sentences of no less than 25 years to life in a California state prison for the 2005 murders of Dernae Wysinger, 22, and Naemon Wysinger, who was 2 years old. On December 22, 2025, he was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. Each of these counts also included allegations that he used a firearm that could cause great bodily injury or death.
Stevens was found guilty of committing assault with a firearm on a third victim, Jamanika Rideout. On that count, he was sentenced to serve three years. The judge did not impose an additional consecutive prison term for this act under California State Penal Code § 12022.5(a).
On October 14, 2005, Dernae, Jazmanika Rideout, and her two-year-old son, Naemon, arrived at a relative’s house. Stevens approached with a high-powered rifle and fired 18 shots at the vehicle. Dernae was killed. Naemon was wounded and taken to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment and later died there from his wounds. Jazmanika was injured but survived.
Stevens was originally convicted in 2007. The conviction was overturned in 2018 by a Federal District Court. Multiple assistant district attorneys prosecuted the case, with help from paralegals in the DA’s office. The San Francisco Police Department Homicide Unit oversaw the investigation.
