Third suspect in San Francisco Golden Gate Park homicide arrested in Arizona

Bay City News
Wednesday, August 24, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco police on Wednesday announced a third suspect has been arrested in connection with a May homicide in which a homeless man was allegedly beaten, tortured and then drowned in a Golden Gate Park lake.

Sahmanntha Rundstrom, 19, was arrested this week by police in Flagstaff, Arizona, and will be extradited back to San Francisco, according to police Officer Giselle Talkoff.

Rundstrom was wanted in connection with the death of 66-year-old Stephen Williams, whose body was found lying face down at Golden Gate Park's Alvord Lake by a gardener around 7 a.m. on May 24.

Stephen Billingsley, 20, and Niki Williams, 34, were previously arrested in connection with the attack. Billingsley has been charged with murder, and both he and Williams face charges including kidnapping, elder abuse, assault and torture.

Both suspects had no prior arrest record in San Francisco and are believed to be transients without any longstanding ties to the city, according to police.

Court documents indicate Billingsley and Niki Williams harassed and attacked the victim over a period of more than three days before knocking him unconscious near the lake. Billingsley then allegedly dragged him into the lake along with other unknown suspects.

Talkoff on Wednesday declined to comment on whether other suspects were still at large, saying the case remained under investigation.