A San Francisco sex worker has been convicted of gunning down a customer who asked for a refund after finding out she was transgender.
Leniyah Butler, 21, was convicted Monday of voluntary manslaughter for shooting Hamza Walupupu in the eye and “scattering the physical evidence, including the murder weapon” after stealing her customer’s car, federal prosecutors said.
Walupupu, 32, picked up the sex worker — also known as Leion Butler — in the Tenderloin District in November 2023, asking her to do “everything,” the Sacramento Bee reported.
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Once they agreed on a price, the pair drove 20 minutes to Crissy Field, a popular tourist spot overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
After performing a sex act, Butler shocked her customer by telling him she was transgender, the report said.
They started fighting when Walupupu demanded a refund — and Butler pulled a gun from her purse and shot him in the eye.
Butler dragged Walupupu’s body out into the parking lot before stealing his Hyundai Accent while calling her mother for help, court documents show.
Walupupu’s vehicle was later found after being left double-parked for three days.
Butler disposed of his belongings, wiped down the car, and gave the gun she used to kill him to an unnamed person, police have said.
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FBI agents raided Butler’s San Francisco home a week after Walupupu’s car was found — and the killer tried to flee by jumping from a second-story window before being arrested in a neighbor’s garage.
A jury acquitted Butler of second-degree murder but found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter. The killer is being held in custody ahead of sentencing on June 27, where she faces up to 15 years in prison.
“We extend our sincere condolences to the victim’s family, whose son and brother was taken from them prematurely, and hope today’s verdict brings some measure of justice,” acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins said of Walupupu.
