Lisa Heng, the 31-year-old San Francisco woman who stabbed her boyfriend to death in a Tenderloin hotel last July, was acquitted of first degree murder and lesser charges by a jury today.
Heng, a single mother, was arrested July 18, 2014, when she called 911 seeking medical attention for her boyfriend, 40-year-old Matt Sheahan, after stabbing him during a methamphetamine-fueled fight. Sheahan later died of his injuries.
[jump] Heng testified during the trial that Sheahan punched her twice in the face and strangled her, and that, during the course of a second attack, she stabbed him out of self-defense, according to a statement from the public defender.
A former girlfriend of Sheahan's testified that he had been convicted for a similar attack on her.
Heng was represented by San Francisco's elected public defender, Jeff Adachi. Over the summer, SF Weekly reported on Adachi's defense of Heng during her preliminary hearing.
“Lisa was forced to defend her life that terrible morning in the Monarch Hotel. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the man she loved,” Adachi said in a statement. “Thankfully, the jury considered the evidence and ended this nightmare for Lisa and her family. We are extremely relieved.”
Heng, who has been in prison since her arrest, will be released later today.
Reached for comment, Alex Bastian of the San Francisco District Attorney's office said, “We respect the jury’s decision.”
