San Francisco police arrested Antonio Gilton Wednesday afternoon in the Western Addition. He's the nephew of Barry Gilton, who along with his girlfriend, was charged last month with killing the man he claims was pimping his 17-year-old daughter. Police also arrested a second man, Alfonso Williams in Fairfield.
"Yesterday afternoon, officers from Park Station arrested Antonio Gilton on Grove Street here in San Francisco and then around 11 p.m. last night, officers from our violence reduction team arrested Alfonso Williams in Fairfield, California," said SFPD Cmdr. John Loftus.
The murder victim in this case was Calvin Sneed. He was shot in his car June 4 in the Bayview. Both Gilton and Williams have been charged with murder in connection with the case as well as weapons-related charges. "I've had a short conversation with Mr. Gilton. He's an innocent man and we look forward to fighting the case," said Antonio Gilton's lawyer Santeeta Sinha.
According to the complaint, the two met Barry Gilton in Hayes Valley on June 4, the afternoon of the murder. Williams obtained a .40 caliber handgun. They drove to the Bayview and waited for Sneed. The complaint says that when Sneed drove by, Barry Gilton shot him in the head.
Barry Gilton and his girlfriend Lupe Mercado pleaded not guilty last month to the murder charge. Their family, friends, and their attorneys say they were desperate to get their daughter back, but that they did not kill Sneed.
Prosecutors believe this bolsters their case, a story which has received national publicity. District Attorney George Gascon has said he understands the parents' frustration but adds, "Vigilante murder is still murder."
Antonio Gilton and Alfonso Williams both pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. The judge set bail at $2 million each, the same amount set for the parents of the teenage girl.
