A San Francisco sex worker who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the 2023 killing of a customer who asked for his money back, will spend half a decade in prison.
A Federal judge sentenced 21-year-old Leion Butler, also known as Leniyah Butler, to five years in prison on Oct. 31 over the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Hamza Walupupu, as reported by the Bay Area Reporter.
Walupupu Found Out Butler was Transgender When He Asked for Vaginal Intercourse
The killing happened on Nov. 12, 2023, at the Crissy Field East Beach area of the Presidio, where the victim's body was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
Federal prosecutors said Butler was responsible for the killing, which occurred after Butler performed a sex act on the victim after he picked her up in his car.
According to court documents, Butler had performed oral sex on Walupupu with the expectation of payment, and after he had ejaculated, he requested vaginal intercourse. It was at that point Butler told him that wasn't possible because she is transgender. Walupupu expressed surprise, which the defense argued was feigned, and said he wasn't going to pay her at all.
Butler said she felt disrespected by him and refused to get out of his vehicle because she would be "stranded cold as fuck." She asked him to take her back to where they had met, but instead, he tried to get out of the car. At that point, Butler shot him in the head with a gun she was carrying.
Butler's attorneys argued it was in self-defense. Federal prosecutors had sought the more serious second-degree murder conviction.
Surveillance Video, Cellphone Data Linked Butler to the Killing
After the shooting, Butler stole the victim's car, drove it to Hunters Point, and attempted to wipe away fingerprints and DNA. Prosecutors said Butler spent the rest of that morning scattering physical evidence, including the gun. The victim's car was found abandoned three days later.
Investigators linked Butler to the killing after reviewing surveillance video that showed a car associated with Walupupu leaving the park around the time of the shooting. Further investigation connected Butler to the second vehicle, and cellphone data allegedly placed her in the areas where Walupupu was killed and where the car was abandoned.
Butler will be on supervised release for three years after the completion of her prison sentence. The court waived fines, due to Butler's inability to pay, but will consider restitution at a hearing scheduled for January 30.
