Andrew Williams, a 32-year-old man with addresses in both San Pablo and Oakland, was found fatally shot on June 4, 2017, in West Oakland. His body was discovered in the middle of the roadway on the 1600 block of Linden Street around 3:20 a.m. The circumstances surrounding his death were initially unclear, with police unsure if he was shot at the location or if his body was left there after being shot elsewhere.
Despite extensive investigations, no immediate arrests were made, and the motive for the killing remained unknown at the time.
The investigation took a significant turn when Artison Manalastas, a 31-year-old man from Antioch with a history of federal and state prison terms, was charged with the murder of Andrew Williams. Manalastas was also charged with vehicle theft for taking Williams' Cadillac after the killing and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court records, Manalastas and Williams had been acquaintances for several months. On the night of the murder, Williams was shot while driving his car, and his body was subsequently dumped on Linden Street. Manalastas was seen on video driving Williams' Cadillac across the Carquinez Bridge into Vallejo after the incident.
Manalastas initially spoke voluntarily with investigators, denying involvement in the killing. However, further evidence, including video footage and inconsistencies in his statements, led to his arrest on June 9, 2017. He was formally charged on June 12, and the Cadillac was found pushed off the road on Grizzly Peak Boulevard in the Oakland hills. Manalastas' criminal history included a 2013 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm and prior convictions for home-invasion robbery and first-degree residential burglary.
In 2022, Manalastas accepted a plea deal, pleading no contest to manslaughter and receiving a 21-year prison term. Despite the plea, his defense maintained that the killing was an act of lawful self-defense, citing a struggle over Williams' firearm during a heated argument. Manalastas' attorney argued that his client's prior convictions and lack of complete truthfulness with police increased the risk of a life sentence, prompting the decision to accept the plea deal. The resolution of the case allowed Manalastas to potentially reduce his sentence with good behavior and return to his family sooner.
