The family of a San Francisco man who was fatally stabbed by his girlfriend in 2022 is angry that she is already getting released from prison, after just a year and a half behind bars.
Jordan Semplar, 41, who made a living partly as a busker doing breakdancing moves for tourists at Pier 39, was killed in late November 2022 by the girlfriend he lived with in Diamond Heights, Sara Buchanan. Buchanan was convicted last month of second-degree involuntary manslaughter, after reduced charges that Semplar's family objected to. And next month, Buchanan is expected to be released on parole after credit for time served.
Alisha Semplar, the sister of the victim, has been vocal in the media about what she says was an injustice to her brother and her family.
"I want to expose and to share that the legal process is not fair and just," Alisha Semplar tells KTVU this week. In addition to the fact that there were no Black jurors in Buchanan's trial, Semplar says that racism played a role in the court proceeding. The family previously expressed outrage at the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter, which was a decision reached by the jury.
"We take each case seriously and put on the best case we can base on the facts, evidence and the law to meet our burden of proof," the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in a statement to KTVU. "In this case, we sought a conviction for murder and the jury returned a conviction of involuntary manslaughter."
Jordan Semplar died on November 25, 2022. He was found in the driveway of the apartment building at 5 Gold Mine Drive where he lived with Buchanan, whom he had been involved with for about ten years, his sister said.
According to Buchanan, Semplar had come home drunk and was calling her "derogatory names." She testified in court that she lunged at Semplar with a knife in order to scare him, but she ended up stabbing him once in or near the chest.
Alisha Semplar says there is more to the story, and she maintains that Buchanan got off too easy. And a little more than a month before Buchanan's June 14 parole hearing, Semplar and her family are speaking out again.
She says that her brother was a victim of domestic violence, and she tells KTVU, "There is a great issue where men suffer from domestic violence. It's not visible or focused on."
Buchanan's defense attorney, Tamani Taylor, said in statement, "The verdict was both fair and just because it was based on the applicable law and relevant evidence presented at the trial."
Jordan Semplar, whose name in the breakdancing world was Double Dragon, traveled and did shows with a troupe called the Oakland Breakers, and could be found on many weekends at Pier 39.
His sister says that the family is planning to file a civil lawsuit against Buchanan, after her scheduled release.