Oakland resident Donte Green, also known as Willie Williams, has reached a plea deal that will result in a 16-year prison sentence for the voluntary manslaughter of Marcus Haynes at a homeless encampment in 2018, according to court records. Green, 43, pleaded no contest to the charge, leading county prosecutors to drop the murder charge against him.
The incident occurred on October 22, 2018, at the encampment located on 22nd Avenue and East 12th Street in Oakland. Witnesses testified during Green’s preliminary hearing that an argument over a phone escalated, with Green allegedly pulling out a pistol. Haynes, in response, reportedly challenged Green to use the weapon. Shortly after, Green shot Haynes, resulting in his death.
While multiple eyewitnesses identified Green, their accounts of the shooting and the preceding altercation varied slightly, as revealed in the hearing transcript. Green was apprehended in January 2019 and has been in custody since then, with the time served counting towards his 16-year sentence.