Pair charged in 3-day torture, killing of homeless man in SF

Police and medical examiner’s investigators were at a pond May 24 where a gardener found the body of a man. Police and medical examiner’s investigators were at a pond May 24 where a gardener found the body of a man. Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Photo: Kimberly Veklerov / The Chronicle Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Pair charged in 3-day torture, killing of homeless man in SF 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Two men, along with numerous other unknown assailants, tortured a 66-year-old homeless man over a three-day period, eventually killing him and dumping his body in a Golden Gate Park pond two weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.

The brutal assault began on May 22, when a group of people, including Nikki Lee Williams — who goes by the nickname “Evil” — pulled the homeless man into the park’s Alvord Lake, where he was repeatedly struck and dunked into the water, according to court records.

The next day, three blocks away on a street in the Haight, Stephen Billingsley, also known as “Pizza Steve,” and others stomped on and struck the victim, rendering him seriously injured and unconscious, according to records. On day three, the pair and others beat the victim unconscious once more, and Billingsley dragged his body into Alvord Lake, court records said.

The victim, identified by the San Francisco medical examiner as Stephen Williams, was found floating dead hours later in the pond on the morning of May 24 by a Golden Gate Park gardener.

The victim had struggled with homelessness for many years, said Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman. The two suspects had no prior connection with the victim and were “transients without long-standing ties in the city,” said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a police spokesman.

Stephen Williams died from “multiple traumatic injuries,” according to the medical examiner’s office.

The suspects wanted to deliver “street justice” because they believed the victim had masturbated near children in Golden Gate Park, prosecutors said in court filings.

Billingsley, 19, was arraigned Monday on charges of murder, torture, conspiracy, elder abuse and assault. Nikki Lee Williams, 36, also arraigned Monday, was charged with conspiracy, assault, elder abuse and false imprisonment. Neither had an arrest history in San Francisco, Gatpandan said.

The co-defendants entered not guilty pleas to the charges and were being held in jail with bail set at $1 million each.

Police are looking for additional suspects in the slaying.

“This is an ongoing investigation, however, the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death are incredibly tragic,” Max Szabo, a spokesman for the San Francisco district attorney’s office, said in a statement. “All human life is precious, and whether you live in a palace or in a park, we will pursue those who resort to violence.”

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: kveklerov