20 Years To Life Prison Sentence For Oakland Killer

OAKLAND, CA — An Oakland man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in state prison for his role in the fatal shooting of a Sacramento man during a drug deal at an East Oakland gas station on New Year's Day in 2015.

Marcus Mayfield, 21, could have faced life in prison without parole because he was charged with murder with the special circumstance of committing a murder during the course of a robbery for the fatal shooting of
Derrick Williams, 23, at the Valero gas station at 7225 Bancroft Ave. at 1:38 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2015.

But on May 18, just before he was scheduled to stand trial, Mayfield pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder for his role in Williams' death and to attempted voluntary manslaughter for the shooting of Williams'
accomplice, Stanford Boatner.

The plea agreement called for the special circumstance allegation to be dismissed and for Mayfield to get a term of 20 years to life. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Paul Delucchi formally sentenced Mayfield on
Wednesday. Andre Poole, 27, of Sacramento was convicted on May 1 of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of committing a murder during the course of a robbery and is expected to receive a term of life in
prison without parole when he's sentenced by Delucchi on Friday.

Officers who responded to the shooting, which was captured on the gas station's surveillance cameras and shown to jurors during Poole's trial, found Williams suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Alameda County prosecutor Peter McGuiness said Poole, Mayfield, Dwight Hilton, 28, of Pittsburg, and a fourth man were at the gas station on the sunny holiday afternoon when they happened to run into Williams and Boatner and agreed to buy 20 Xanax pills from them. Xanax is an anti-anxiety medication that has a high street value because it's often used recreationally, according to police. McGuiness said that instead of buying the Xanax pills, Poole decided to snatch a gold chain off of Williams' neck and steal the pills.

The prosecutor said that when Williams resisted, Poole shot and killed him. Poole's attorney Stephen Avilla admitted during the trial that Poole fatally shot Williams but said he did so in self-defense after Williams
pulled a gun on him.

But McGuiness said there's no evidence that Williams pulled out his gun and jurors' quick verdict against Poole after less than a full day of deliberations showed that they don't believe he acted in self-defense.

Hilton was also charged with murder in the case but those charges were later dismissed. He pleaded no contest last year to second-degree robbery in an unrelated case and is serving a seven-year sentence in state prison. He was called as a prosecution witness during Poole's trial.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock

Also See:

• Vicious Dog Bites Off Woman's Finger
  
• Woman Blinded By Bleach Attack In San Francisco
  
• Machete-Wielding Man Shot Dead By Police
  
• Attempted Burglary Suspects, Getaway Car Photos Released
  
• Sorry, California: Aug. 21, 2017, Total Solar Eclipse Will Only Be Partial In The Golden State
  
• Perseids, Delta Aquarids: Summer Meteor Shower Peak Dates