The mayor of San Francisco’s brother received a new sentence on Monday with a shorter prison term for his part in the death of his girlfriend in 2000 while she was driving a getaway car over the Golden Gate Bridge during a heist.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Brendan Conroy lowered Napoleon Brown’s sentence for involuntary manslaughter, armed robbery, and carjacking from 44 years to slightly over 31.
In 2018, Mayor London Breed wrote to outgoing Governor Jerry Brown pleading with him to exercise mercy and shorten the sentence of her older brother. In the letter, she made mention of her role as mayor, and the stationary included the title “Mayor London Breed” at the top. He didn’t answer back.
Napoleon Brown’s lawyer, Marc Zilversmit, expressed happiness that the judge had agreed to a sentence reduction but noted that they had requested an even lower term. According to Zilversmit, Brown has spent close to 22 years incarcerated.
“There are mixed emotions,” he said.
Requests for comment from the mayor’s press office were not immediately fulfilled.
In June 2000, Brown and another guy fled over the Golden Gate Bridge after robbing a cafe in San Francisco. His girlfriend, Lenties White, was driving when a drunk motorist shoved or threw her out, killing her.
Brown denies pushing White, as claimed by the prosecution.
