OAKLAND — A Bay Area woman charged with murdering her ex-boyfriend in an April shooting is seeking release from jail, through a motion that plays up her work battling homelessness and indicates she will argue self-defense if the case goes to trial.
Tiffany York, 37, is charged with murdering 41-year-old Akobi Winston in an April 22 shooting on the 330 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland. Earlier this month her attorney filed a bail motion seeking York’s release, arguing that she has deep roots in the community and implying that Winston — who has a decade-old battery conviction — attacked her first.
“Thus far, the police and prosecution have offered no evidence regarding who started the argument, or the argument’s subject matter,” defense attorneys Marvin Lew and Matthew Dalton wrote in the motion. “The police and prosecution also offered no evidence regarding why Ms. York may have shot Mr. Winston, including ruling out whether she may have shot him out of fear (in self -defense), out of perceived fear (imperfect self -defense), or due to a precipitating event (in the heat of passion).”
York was arrested May 25 at San Francisco State University, where she is pursuing a master’s degree, according to her attorneys. They describe her as the founder and CEO of a nonprofit called Supporting People in Oakland Together, or SPIT, which provides meals and other services to homeless, according to its website.
A judge is set to rule on the defense motion on July 19.
Police say in court records that York was identified as the shooter because they entire incident was captured on a surveillance camera. They said she brought a gun to a meeting with Winston, then pulled it out an shot him during a heated argument. The suspected motive is listed in court records only as an “unknown domestic dispute.”
For the time being, York is being held in Santa Rita Jail without bail, records show.
Winston’s mother, Leslie Carter, is the founder of a West Oakland-based dance studio called the African Queens Dance Company, according to an unsigned memorial Facebook post by the studio.
“Akobi spent his entire life on the dance floor with the Queens! Drumming, carrying costumes, being a stage manager, to eventually raising two Queens of his own who will proudly carry on his legacy,” the post says. “Whatever his mom needed, he was always right there. The stage won’t be the same, rehearsals will missing something special, and our hearts will carry a void as we dance on without Akobi.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com