SAN FRANCISCO—On Friday, February 23, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced a conviction of Victor Matute-Casco, 28, of San Francisco, after a trial by jury for breaking into six vehicles on one night in the Excelsior and Crocker Amazon neighborhoods.
Matute-Casco was convicted of six counts of second-degree burglary (PC 459) and one count of attempted second-degree burglary (PC 459). He was convicted of misdemeanor possession of stolen property (PC 496) and one count of resisting, obstructing, or delaying a peace officer (PC 148(a)(1)).
The SFDA’s Office indicated in a press release that according to testimony and other evidence presented at trial, in the early hours of September 8, 2023, in both the Excelsior and Crocker-Amazon neighborhoods, the defendant broke into six vehicles, and attempted to break into another two vehicles, before he was arrested by Ingleside Station Officers near the intersection of Cordova Street and Seville Street.
At the time of his arrest, Matute-Casco was hiding under a parked vehicle. He first caught the attention of the officers when he was spotted casing a parked vehicle on Naples Street near Athens Street with a flashlight. Forensic evidence, along with the defendant’s distinctive clothing, tied him to the various crime scenes. During a search of his vehicle, power tools belonging to one of the victims was recovered.
The case against Matute-Casco was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kourtney “Korey” M. Bell, with assistance from the District Attorney Investigators team, paralegal Melissa Cruz, and Victim Advocate Tony Leung who worked closely with multiple victims throughout the pendency of the case. Prosecutors were able to develop a strong case against the defendant with careful investigation by the San Francisco Police Department’s Ingleside Station and Criminalistics Laboratory’s forensic analysis.
“I would like to express my deep and sincere admiration for the jurors; our systems of criminal justice would not be possible without them, said Assistant District Attorney Kourtney “Korey” M. Bell. “With the rendered verdicts, the City and County of San Francisco has demonstrated that it will no longer tolerate individuals breaking into our vehicles with impunity. I strongly advise that you think twice before breaking a vehicle’s window in San Francisco.”
Matute-Casco is currently in custody. He faces more than eight years in state prison for his crimes with his sentencing scheduled for March 13, 2024.
