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'Did You Know...?'
Issue 5, 2016
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Welcome to the fifth installment of our 'Did You Know...?' newsletter for 2016.
We wish you and your family a very happy 4th of July weekend.
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In this issue:
- DA's Office wins two NACo awards
- Truancy court graduation
- Verdict reached in the Darnell Williams case
- Elder Abuse Awareness Month
- Guilty verdict in heinous double murder
- Felony Verdicts
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DA's Office Receives Prestigious Award
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It was announced this week that the Alameda County DA's Office received two awards from the National Association of Counties for our innovative efforts to improve our community.
SafetyNet won the NACo Best of Category Achievement Award. The program is a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency case review to identify and create a safety plan for victims of commercial sexual exploitation or those at high-risk of being exploited.
This type of program is very important as it enables us to stay in regular contact with exploited minors and at-risk youth,link them with the services they need, keep them safe, and to help them plan for their future. Read more about SafetyNet.
We received the second achievement award for our Health, Education, and Attendance for Life (HEAL) Program.
The HEAL Program was created as part of our office's Truancy and Attendance effort. We partner with health care agencies and the public schools to address the issues concerning health and excessive school absenteeism. This collaborative model works to ensure families have the access to the resources they require so that their children can attend school and receive a quality education.
We thank the teams involved in each of these programs for their innovative problem solving and commitment to helping our community.
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On Friday, June 10, 2016, the Honorable Judge Gloria Rhynes presided over a court experience of a different type: a graduation ceremony for Truancy Court.
Thirty-one families, with children ranging in age from elementary school through secondary,
started their journey in Truancy Court after being referred to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for being chronically absent from school. T
he parents of these children appeared throughout the year in a collaborative court setting aimed at addressing the underlying issues that prevented regular school attendance. Working alongside the court, community-based organisations, Alameda County Health, and Asthma Start, the DA’s office’s Truancy program was able to affect positive change in their lives.
To celebrate, the graduating families gathered in Department 3 to have their cases ceremonially dismissed and the children were provided with backpacks filled with school supplies to prepare for the new school year.
“It’s vital that children are in school everyday if they are going to thrive and graduate ready for career and college,"
said Assistant
DA and Head of the Truancy Unit, Teresa Drenick.
"We are so proud that each and every one of the parents here today were able to overcome their obstacles so their children could return to school and are not at a disadvantage."
To learn more about the DA Truancy program, please visit our
At School website.
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Jury Reaches Verdict in Darnell Williams Case
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On June 2, 2016, the jury in the trial of Darnell Williams returned a verdict finding that Williams should receive the death penalty for his conviction of two first degree murders. Sentencing is scheduled for September 21, 2016. At the sentencing hearing, the trial judge will review the evidence and determine whether the evidence supports the jury’s penalty verdict.
On May 6, 2016, the same jury convicted Williams of first degree murder for the killing of eight-year-old Alaysha Carradine and the separate first degree murder of Anthony Medearis. Williams was also convicted of other charges, including attempted murders, assault with a firearm, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Read more...
“This defendant committed the most heinous of crimes. The senseless and brutal slaying of eight-year old Alaysha Carradine and murder of Anthony Medearis will forever devastate their loved-ones. The children who survived the injuries caused by Williams will always live with the memories of the horror he inflicted,” said District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley.
“I hope that with the verdict in this trial, each victim and each family member will have a sense that justice was served and will, in their individual ways, begin to heal from the trauma they have suffered.”
The case was prosecuted by Senior DDA John Brouhard, with assistance from DA Inspectors Nicole Elder and Lou Cruz, and Victim-Witness Advocate Maria Suniga.
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Elder Abuse Awareness Month
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Recently, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors acknowleged June as Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Supervisor Wilma Chan presented the Proclamation to Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Dunleavy, DDA Cheryl Poncini and a representative from Adult Protective Services (APS).
Seniors and dependent adults are some of the most vulnerable citizens in our community, and are often targeted by scammers and thieves. The Alameda County DA's Office Elder Abuse Unit is comprised of a team of prosecutors, inspectors and victim-witness advocates who combine to ensure perpetrators of elder abuse are held accountable and the victims of these crimes are served in the best manner possible.
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Guilty Verdict in Heinous Double Murder
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On May 12, 2016, Diantay Powell was convicted of the first degree murder of 16-year-old Bobbie Sartain and second degree murder of 15-year-old Raquel Gerstel. The murders happening on Thanksgiving Weekend in 2012. Read more about the case...
Due to the true finding of the multiple murder special circumstance, Powell will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole at his July 29, 2016 sentencing.
The case was prosecuted by DDA Melissa Dooher with assistance from DA Inspector Blair Alexander and Victim-Witness Advocate Stephanie Lynch.
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People v Thiago DeFreitas
On May 16, 2016, a jury found defendant Thiago DeFreitas guilty of a felony count of hit and run causing injury, and a felony count of evading the police. Read more about the case...
The defendant was out of custody during trial and failed to appear at the time the jury reached the verdict. A warrant has been issued for Defendant DeFreitas' arrest.
This case was prosecuted by DDA Matt Gaidos with assistance from DA Inspectors Jim Rullamas and Cesar Basa.
People v Gerald Gipson
A jury found Defendant Gerald A. Gipson guilty of first degree murder with personal use of a firearm causing death enhancements, as well as first degree robbery with personal use of a firearm enhancement. They jury also found Defendant Gipson guilty of two felon in possession of a firearm charges. Defendant Gipson is a six-time convicted felon. Read more about the case...
Defendant Gerald A. Gipson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16, 2016.
The case was prosecuted by DDA Ben Beltramo with assistance from Victim-Witness Advocate Marina Hammergren and DA Inspectors Lou Cruz, Nicole Elder, and Jason Riechers.
People v Jesus Joseph Aromin
This case was prosecuted by DDA Adam Maldonado with assistance from DA Inspector Tom Cleary and Victim-Witness Advocate Stephanie Bernaola.
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Do you have a question for the District Attorney?
If you would like to see a particular question answered in our next newsletter, please email us at
info@alcoda.org.
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HEAT Watch is the anti-human trafficking program run by the DA's Office. It coordinates the response to help fight trafficking in the Bay Area and beyond.
Point of View
The well-known legal educational tool written and published by the DA's Office.
Find out when the next court date is for a particular case. Available 24/7.
Find out the custody status of a person of interest. Available 24/7.
We provide speakers for your next school or community meeting who come to you with decades of expertise about the law, the criminal justice system and how we at the DA's Office can help you if you have been the victim of a crime.
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