San Francisco resident charged with murder of man whose body was found in the Presidio

SAN FRANCISCO – A 20-year-old San Francisco resident has been charged with the murder of a man whose body was found earlier this month at Crissy Field in the Presidio, according to federal prosecutors.

Leion Butler appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charge, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. If convicted, he could potentially be sentenced to death or life in prison.

The victim’s body was found in a parking lot on Nov. 12. He had been shot once in the head.

Investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage, which showed cars leaving the area around the time of the murder. One of those cars was linked to the victim.

The victim’s car was found three days later, double parked on a street in the Hunters Point neighborhood. According to prosecutors, surveillance cameras in the area captured the car’s arrival, as well as Butler parking, exiting and talking on a cellphone.

Prosecutors said Butler was also shown speaking to the driver of a second vehicle that pulled up later, making several trips between the two vehicles, wiping down the driver’s side door and interior of the victim’s car, and leaving in the second vehicle.

Investigators went on to identify the owner of the second vehicle and then Butler as a suspect. According to prosecutors, Butler both fit the description of the person who parked the victim’s car in the neighborhood and was related to the owner of the second vehicle.

On the day of the fatal shooting, Butler’s cellphone was in the general area where the victim was found and where the victim’s car was wiped down, prosecutors said.

Butler was arrested Monday and remains in federal custody, according to prosecutors.