‘Robert was a loving and giving young man’: Hayward man gets 13 years for killing friend
DUBLIN — A Hayward man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for killing his friend, but not until after he heard from the victim’s family in court, records show.
In a July court hearing, 38-year-old Steven Velasquez listened to two of Robert Lee Saffold’s loved ones speak before he was formally sentenced. At an earlier court date, Velasquez pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in a plea deal with prosecutors, who dropped a murder charge in return, court records show.
“We will never receive a call from Robert singing or just checking in to see how someone is doing or just to make us laugh. Robert was a loving and giving young man,” Saffold’s mother, Mary Ann Brooks, said in court. “If you needed help, he would come if he could. Robert had been starting to move forward in a positive manner such as changing his attitude and demeanor.”
Velasquez didn’t speak at the hearing. He was transferred to North Kern State Prison on Aug. 15, and remains there, records show.
Velasquez shot and killed Saffold on the morning June 13, 2022, in a backyard described as a “junkyard” of a home on the 27000 block of Whitman Street, then attempted to doctor the crime scene and come up with a cover story, according to police testimony. First, he allegedly told police Saffold accidentally shot himself while pistol-whipping Velasquez, then said the gun went off during a struggle. When police told him a surveillance camera captured the shooting he gave a third version that was more consistent with the footage, authorities said.
Velasquez lived at the home where the shooting took place, according to court records.
At the 2024 preliminary hearing, Velasquez’s lawyer argued it was self-defense, saying Saffold, who was 6-feet 5-inches tall and weighed 250 pounds, came after Velasquez after using a “heroic” dosage of methamphetamine.
After the killing, Velasquez attempted to wedge the gun into Saffold’s lifeless fingers, then removed jewelry from the body, authorities said.