Man charged with murder in SF SOMA hotel room throat slashing: D.A.
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SAN FRANCISCO - A man has been charged with murder in connection to a San Francisco South of Market hotel-room throat slashing, officials say.
What we know:
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins' office announced the charges against Sergii Sakhno, 37, on Friday. He was arraigned one day earlier. At his arraignment, the suspect pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations against him.
Court documents show the slaying happened in a 7th Street hotel room on Oct. 30, 2024. The victim's throat was cut twice. Sakhno allegedly tried to clean spattered blood in the room with bleach.
Late that afternoon, the San Francisco Police Department responded to a call from the hotel room about an unresponsive person in one of the rooms. Officers arriving on the scene described the strong odor of bleach and observed the room had been ransacked.
The victim's body was found in the hotel room's bathroom.
Officials with the D.A.'s office did not identify the victim.
Sakhno was taken into custody the following day for an unrelated incident, officials said. The D.A.'s office said the suspect had the victim's phone when he was arrested.
D.A. Jenkins offered condolences to the victim's family. "There is no place for horrific violence like this in our community," she added in a statement.
Officials did not indicate if the suspect and the victim were known to each other.
Sakhno remains in custody as the D.A.'s office filed a motion to have him detained. They argued he is a threat to public safety.
Sakhno's next court date is set for April 8.