A San Francisco Superior Court jury convicted Michael Sione Green of first-degree murder in the 2013 shooting death of Melquiesha "Mel" Warren.
Warren, a lesbian, was shot after a minor collision in a parking lot near the gay Club OMG nightclub November 17, 2013. A friend of Warren's was also shot but survived. Jurors also convicted Green of the friend's attempted murder, along with numerous other charges.
In court Thursday, August 18, Green, 26, bowed his head as he waited for the clerk to begin reading the verdicts. When she announced he'd been found guilty of murder, someone gasped, and Green laid his head on the table in front of him. He kept his head down for the next 20 minutes as he learned that he'd also been convicted of charges including assault with a semi-automatic weapon and being a felon in possession of his firearm.
Green's attorney, Eileen Burke, stroked his back and wiped her eyes.
Warren, 23, had been at Club OMG, 43 Sixth Street, celebrating her girlfriend's birthday before she was shot. The incident started just after 2 a.m. when the woman driving the car Warren was in accidentally clipped another car, according to court testimony.
Warren got out of the vehicle, and moments later, as she held up her hands and said, "Wait," the gunman shot her in the face. He then shot the driver.
The driver and several of Warren's other friends who'd witnessed the shooting testified during the monthlong trial and identified Green as the gunman.
Melquiesha "Mel" Warren at her college graduation in 2012. Photo: Courtesy Sil Warren
Police announced Green as the suspect soon after the shooting, but Assistant District Attorney Heather Trevisan told jurors that he'd fled to Florida, "drastically" changed his appearance, and lived under a fake name. He was arrested in Miami in May 2014 and extradited to San Francisco.
Burke had tried to sway the jury that Warren's friends were unreliable, suggesting repeatedly that they had collaborated on a description of the shooter and that they'd been drunk when the shooting occurred.
But after about three days of deliberation, the jurors made clear they believed Green, who didn't testify, was the shooter.
Green, of San Mateo, is set to be sentenced November 1. He faces a sentence of at least 82 years to life in prison.
In a phone call last week, Amanda Buckley, 43, Warren's mother, said she was "very happy" with the jury's decision.
"It was a long time coming, and justice has been served," Buckley said.
"He took my daughter's life, and now the state's taking his life," she said of Green, adding that she was "proud" of San Francisco police Sergeant Jon Kasper, who led the police investigation.
"He made me a promise, and he stuck to it," Buckley said.
About an hour after Green was convicted, one of his brothers and two women rushed into the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street. They didn't stop to talk to a reporter.
Jurors weren't available after court Thursday for comment.
In a news release from the district attorney's office, Trevisan said, "This was a vicious attack on someone who was simply trying to deescalate the situation. The callousness of this defendant was exhibited by the fact that he shot a defenseless woman in the face, and then proceeded to shoot another female victim, who was in no way threatening him, at least nine times."
San Francisco District Attorney George Gasc-n stated, "The jury sent a clear message with their finding of guilt on all counts. This is a dangerous individual who will spend the rest of his days behind bars. This act of violence was completely senseless."
Burke, Green's attorney, declined to comment.