In a federal murder case that hinged on trans issues and the dangers of sex work, a 22-year-old sex worker has been sentenced to five years for the killing of a man who picked her up for sex and drove her to the Crissy Field parking lot.

Leniyah Butler, the young trans sex worker who was convicted in April of the killing of 32-year-old Hamza Walupupu in November 2023, was sentenced last week to five years in a federal women's prison. Butler was acquitted of second-degree murder but convicted of voluntary manslaughter, after her attorney, David Rizk, had argued that the shooting of Walupupu was done in self-defense.

The case was tried in federal court because of where the killing took place, on federal property in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, in a parking lot at Crissy Field.

As the Chronicle reports, federal prosecutors were seeking a 13-year prison term for Butler, calling the killing "callous and deliberate," while Rizk had argued for two years, writing in a court filing, "Twenty four months is surely sufficient for a young, impaired Black transgender victim of trafficking who shot an older, drunk, ill and violent ‘trick’ who attacked her out of fear for her life."

Ultimately US District Judge Susan Illston appears to have taken some pity on Butler, who initially had difficulty showing remorse for the crime, but later said in a sentencing hearing, "I just want to apologize to the victim’s family … I wish I could show more emotion, but what I’ve experienced, what I’ve been through in life, it’s kinda hard to show emotion. I’m deeply sorry."

Butler told police she feared for her safety after Walupupu picked her up in an area known as "the Blade," at Post and Polk streets in the Tenderloin — an area known as a gathering place for trans sex workers. Walupupu then drove her to the parking lots near Crissy Field — where, Butler told police, she felt "out of her element." And after asking for "more" following oral sex, Butler reportedly told Walupupu she was trans, and he became upset and demanded his money back, telling her to get out of his car.

It came out in court that Walupupu was likely pretending to be surprised that Butler was trans, and Rizk said in a court filing that Walupupu had both a history of mental illness and a history of assaulting trans sex workers.

In the ensuing scuffle in the car, Butler pulled out a .380-caliber handgun and shot Walupupu in the eye. She then pushed his body out of the car, and drove the car to Hunters Point — police would later find the vehicle, with dried blood in it, double parked on Kiska Road.

As the Chronicle notes, the case highlighted the powers of the SFPD's surveillance cameras around the city, and how they were able to find and arrest Butler based on the vehicle that was seen picking her up on Kiska Road — a black Jeep Commander, only one of which was registered in the Bay Area at the time.

In a statement, Rizk said of the five-year sentence that it "reflects the court’s recognition of the complexity of what occurred."

Previously: Federal Jury Convicts Trans Sex Worker of Voluntary Manslaughter In Crissy Field Shooting