CEO of Oakland nonprofit homeless shelter sentenced to prison for murder of ex-boyfriend

OAKLAND – A woman who started her own nonprofit homeless service has been sentenced to 11 years in state prison for killing her ex-boyfriend during a heated argument.

Tiffany York, 40, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 41-year-old Akobi Winston. In return, prosecutors dropped murder charges against her. The deal was finalized in May and she was officially transferred to state prison in June, records show.

York had originally argued that the fatal shooting was self-defense and that Winston – who has a decade of assault convictions – attacked her first. Winston's family members later told police that she hit him with a vehicle during their tumultuous relationship, court records show.

Winston was shot on April 22, 2022, during an argument with York in the 330 block of MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland. Police say the gun York used to kill Winston was stolen during a burglary in Stockton.

Video surveillance of the shooting shows Winston and York arguing near Winston's parked car. At some point, York allegedly pulled out the gun and fired into the ground as Winston walked away.

She then shot at Winston's car several times and then got into the parked vehicle. As Winston pulled her out of the car, she shot him. After he fell to the ground, mortally wounded, she rifled through his pockets before fleeing the scene, authorities said.

At the time of her subsequent arrest on murder charges, York was the executive director of a nonprofit called Supporting People in Oakland Together (SPIT), which provides meals and other services to the homeless, according to its website. Her lawyers said in court filings that she is also pursuing a master's degree at San Francisco State University.

Police later interviewed Winston's family members, who told them about his relationship history with York. Winston's girlfriend told police she suspected he had been secretly communicating with York but was unsure about the nature of their interactions at the time of his death.

According to authorities, the conversation between York and Winston began nonconfrontational but turned into a heated argument a few minutes later. According to police, this is evident from surveillance footage of the incident.

Winston's mother, Leslie Carter, is the founder of a West Oakland-based dance studio called African Queens Dance Company, according to an unsigned memorial Facebook post from the studio.

“Akobi has spent his whole life on the dance floor with the queens! He drums, wears costumes, stage manages until he eventually raises two queens of his own who will proudly carry on his legacy,” the post reads. “Whatever his mother needed, he was always there. The stage will no longer be the same, something special will be missing from the rehearsals and our hearts will carry an emptiness if we continue dancing without Akobi.”

Originally published: October 31, 2024 at 12:53 pm PDT