Police identified this man as Patrick Thompson - Screenshot courtesy of CBS News on YouTube

Police identified this man as Patrick Thompson - Screenshot courtesy of CBS News on YouTube

‘Prison reform’? San Francisco double stabbing suspect had been granted early release through diversion program

Posted by: | |Categories Around The World, Featured, Politics and Policing
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The man charged with stabbing two Asian-American women on a San Francisco sidewalk this week was reportedly released early from a 25-year prison sentence due to a criminal justice diversion program.

Patrick Thompson, 54, of San Francisco, is charged with allegedly stabbing the two elderly women without warning at a San Francisco bus stop on May 5.

In a graphic video of the attack, a man police identified as Thompson can be seen walking up behind the two women as they stood at a bus stop. Thompson pulls out a knife and slashes them both as bystanders run to their aid.

The victims, 84 and 63 years old, suffered multiple stab wounds.

The attack is one of several which have occurred across the country as violence spread against Asian Americans following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. Police have not given a motive for the attack.

The District Attorney’s Office charged Thompson with two counts of premeditated attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and two counts of elder abuse, with enhancements for great bodily injury, great bodily injury on elders, and personal use of a deadly weapon.

The charges carry a potential sentence of life in prison.

Just days after the San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin praised the capture of a suspect in a “brutal attack” on two elderly Asian American women, it has been learned that the attacker received early release for another attack in 2017.

Thompson was previously charged with assault with a deadly weapon in 2017, according to court records. In that case, Thompson was ruled incompetent to stand trial and sent to a state hospital.

Thompson was placed in a mental health diversion program, which defense attorneys at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office said he successfully completed in August 2020, according to court filings.

A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stressed that the department was not involved in sentencing decisions and referred questions to District Attorney Boudin’s office.

Boudin was not the District Attorney at the time of Thompson’s release.

A statement from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announcing the arrest of Thompson stated that Boudin visited with both victims in the stabbing case. Boudin said:

“The strength and courage of these women is inspiring. Their pain was tangible and will serve as a constant reminder of the importance of our work to make San Francisco safer for all.

“I am grateful to the medical team at San Francisco General Hospital, who helped to make sure the victims are still with us today.”

The statement addressed Thompson’s previous arrest and release, stating they wanted to clear up confusion:

“Police arrested Mr. Thompson in 2017 in separate cases, and because of some confusion, we want to clarify what happened in those prior cases filed against Mr. Thompson. During those proceedings, a judge found him incompetent to stand trial and he was sent to Napa State Hospital. Upon his return in 2018, his defense counsel requested he be sent to Mental Health Diversion, a program available pursuant to California state law. 

“Mr. Thompson was released from custody in October 2018 to participate in Mental Health Diversion. After almost two years of complying with the program, Mr. Thompson’s defense counsel moved to terminate him from the program, which a judge granted.”

Prosecutors called the attack on the two elderly women a “devastating tragedy” and said there needs to be more programs to support the mentally ill:

“What happened is a devastating tragedy, and we will use the full force of our office’s resources to prosecute this case. We also need to work hard to stop the next crime from happening, and that involves prevention and treatment.

“Mr. Thompson needed intensive supervision and services—which he received during Mental Health Diversion and which prevented new criminal behavior.  We need far more intensive tools that keep people who are mentally ill-treated and supported so that they do not re-offend even when there is no pending criminal case. “

Boudin has called for criminal justice reforms since campaigning for office. in March, he drew backlash in another case involving an unprovoked attack on an Asian American. In that case, he caused an uproar when he referenced a 19-year-old suspect’s “temper tantrum” in the killing of an 84-year-old Thai immigrant.

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Far-left San Fran DA dropped domestic violence charges twice on suspect before he allegedly killed baby

April 27, 2021

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is being blasted for failing to charge a repeat domestic violence offender who has now been charged with the brutal murder of a seven-month-old baby.

Criticism of Boudin’s actions increased as Joseph Williams, 26, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the April 20 death of little Synciere Williams.  The child was pronounced dead after Williams brought the child unresponsive to the California Pacific Medical Center at approximately 12:53 p.m. on April 20.

Hospital staff discovered the infant had signs of trauma to his body, and police were called. The infant died a short time later.

According to police, Williams was the child’s “adult male caregiver,” but the two were not related.

Investigators arrested Williams for the murder of the child after determining the cause of death to be blunt force trauma but have not released further details.

Joseph Williams had been arrested twice this year prior to the murder, both times for domestic violence. Both cases were against the same woman with whom Williams had a relationship, but prosecutors in Boudin’s office claimed the cases were dropped because of lack of cooperation from the victim.

Rachel Marshal, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, said:

“Given the lack of cooperation with prosecution, we were unable to move forward with either of those cases.”

Williams was arrested on January 7 for allegedly shoving the woman he was dating while a ten-month-old girl was being pushed in a stroller. The woman told police that Williams had grabbed her by the throat, leaving bruises.

Williams was charged with aggravated assault, suspicion of felony domestic violence, and aggravated assault.

On March 26, Williams was again arrested after police responded to a domestic violence call and found the same woman had allegedly been attacked by him.  The woman told police that Williams punched her and pushed her into furniture.

Williams was again charged with suspicion of felony domestic violence and aggravated assault.

Charges in both cases were dropped by District Attorney Boudin’s office.

Boudin had come under fire from gubernatorial candidate Caitlin Jenner for the lack of prosecution and the death of the infant. Jenner tweeted:

“This is horrible and also avoidable. This is horrible and also avoidable. Gavin’s District Attorneys across California are releasing dangerous criminals back onto our streets. Enough is enough.”

Domestic violence advocates also blasted the District Attorney for his failure to prosecute earlier domestic violence incidents. Advocates point out that domestic violence is a crime against the state under California law, and it was Boudin’s responsibility to find a way to prosecute the case.

Kathy Black, the executive director of La Casa de las Madres, a shelter for domestic violence victims in the city, said the District Attorney does not understand the nature of family violence:

“Domestic violence is a crime against the state of California, and the district attorney’s job is to work with what the Police Department has gathered at the crime scene and develop the evidence to present a case.

“That’s his job — it’s not the victim’s job.”

District Attorney Boudin has reportedly dismissed cases against 113 out of 131 people arrested for felony domestic violence in the last three months of 2020.

Boudin became district attorney of San Francisco in 2019, pledging a commitment to restorative justice over incarceration.

Boudin made headlines earlier this year when he sought a commutation for his own father’s prison sentence from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

His father and mother, David Gilbert and Kathy Boudin, were members of the domestic terror group Weather Underground, and helped commit an armed car robbery in Nyack, New York in 1981.

The robbery left two police officers and a guard dead. The parents dropped off their 14-month-old son at a babysitter before committing the horrible crime.

Gilbert, 76, is not eligible for parole until 2056. Kathy Boudin was released on parole in 2003.

 

 

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About The Author

Scott A. Davis is a 28-year veteran of law enforcement. He served as a Police Sergeant and as a Detective in Pennsylvania. Scott retired from law enforcement in 2020. Prior to his law enforcement career, Scott was an award-winning journalist and recipient of two Keystone Press Awards.

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