SAN FRANCISCO—A murder trial ended with two acquittals and a hung jury for two men who allegedly participated in two murders in 2010 and 2013 in Bayview-Hunters Point, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office indicated.
The San Francisco Examiner reported that Antonio Bowers was acquitted on all counts for his alleged part in the 2010 murder of Deon Jackson. A deadlocked jury came back for Bower’s co-defendant, Joshua Pittman, who was charged for the same killing. Pittman was acquitted in the 2013 murder of Otto Brown, 30, who was fatally shot on June 30.
He was found guilty on other charges related to witness tampering in connection to Brown’s murder. Jackson and Brown were shot and killed in the same area on the 700 block of Kirkwood Avenue. Prosecutors argued Pittman and Bowers plotted to kill Jackson.
Pitman’s lawyer, Sangeeta Sinha, argued there was little to no evidence linking her client to the crime scenes, and claimed the prosecutor’s witnesses were unreliable.
Pittman and Bowers were charged with a total of 15 felony counts, though Pittman faced the majority of the charges.
According to authorities, Pittman and Bowers are both documented members of the Big Block/HRD gang.
