Man Convicted in Unprovoked SF Neck Slasher Attack

San Francisco prosecutors said a jury convicted Roberto Lopez, 31, on June 2 in the 2023 knife attack that left a woman with a slashed neck in the city’s Inner Sunset neighborhood. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said Lopez was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery with serious bodily injury. Jurors also found true allegations that he personally caused great bodily injury and personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon during the battery. Lopez remains in custody pending sentencing on June 25. ### Who was convicted, and on what charges? Roberto Lopez, 31, was convicted after a jury trial in San Francisco Superior Court, according to District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’s office. The convictions were for assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm, under California Penal Code 245(a)(1), and aggravated battery with serious bodily injury under Penal Code 243(d). The jury also sustained enhancement findings for great bodily injury and use of a deadly and dangerous weapon. (sfdistrictattorney.org) District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement that the verdict “holds Mr. Lopez accountable for this unprovoked attack.” Jenkins said her office would continue to “protect public safety and fight for justice in the courtroom,” and said she hoped the verdict would bring the victim “some measure of closure” as she heals. (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### What did prosecutors say happened on Funston Avenue? July 15, 2023, is the date prosecutors gave for the attack. The district attorney’s office said that at 10:18 p.m. on the 1200 block of Funston Avenue, Lopez walked past the woman, then approached her and, without provocation, slashed the left side of her neck with a knife. Prosecutors described the assault as random and unprovoked. (sfdistrictattorney.org) San Francisco police detained Lopez four blocks away at 10:34 p.m., according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said officers later found the knife on the path Lopez took as he fled the scene. The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where she received 16 stitches for the wound to her neck, the office said. (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### Who handled the case at trial? Assistant District Attorney Pearl Tan prosecuted the case for San Francisco, the district attorney’s office said. The office said Tan was assisted by paralegal Josh Nickchen, the subpoena unit and victim advocate Ahmir Scruggs, who worked with the victim during the trial. (sfdistrictattorney.org) Pearl Tan said she wanted to thank the jury for its attention to the evidence and for delivering a verdict that “provides closure for the victim,” according to the statement released by the district attorney’s office. ### What role did police investigators play? (sfdistrictattorney.org) Taraval Station officers and the San Francisco Police Department’s Night Investigations Unit helped build the case, prosecutors said. The district attorney’s office credited those investigators with developing evidence that supported the prosecution at trial. (sfdistrictattorney.org) KRON reported the conviction on June 2 and matched the district attorney office’s account of the timing of the attack, the arrest four blocks away, and the charges returned by the jury. ### What happens next in court? June 25, 2026, is the next scheduled court date in the case. (sfdistrictattorney.org) The district attorney’s office said Lopez is set to be sentenced that day and remains in custody ahead of the hearing. The office identified the matter as court number 23010701. (kron4.com)