3 accused of killing man in East Oakland in botched drug deal

Three men have been charged with special-circumstances murder in Oakland’s first slaying this year, which resulted from a botched drug deal, authorities said Tuesday.

Dwight Hilton, 26, of Pittsburg; Marcus Aron Mayfield Jr., 19, of Oakland; and Andre Poole, 24, of Sacramento are being held without bail in the Jan. 1 killing of 23-year-old Derrick Williams of Sacramento.

Williams was gunned down at the Valero gas station at 7225 Bancroft Ave. at 1:38 p.m. New Year’s Day.

Alameda County prosecutors have charged the three men with murder and the special circumstance of murder in the course of a robbery. If convicted, they could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek lethal injection.

Mayfield was also charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill 22-year-old Stanford Boatner, a friend of Williams, at the scene.

In an unusual twist, Boatner, who wasn’t hurt, was also charged with attempted murder, with police saying he opened fire after the attack, intending to hit Mayfield but instead striking Hilton.

Authorities said Williams and Boatner had been planning to sell Xanax pills to the three men, who instead tried to rob Williams. Williams resisted and was shot dead by Poole, investigators said.

Poole has prior convictions for robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm, court records show.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee