Waltrice Dilliehunt

Waltrice Dilliehunt was a 35-year-old female and a cherished mother to her two children, Jamarcus and D’ari. Described by her family as a beautiful young woman with a beautiful soul, she was also a loving sister, cousin, aunt, and friend whose warm presence brought joy to those around her. Her death came during a period of profound grief for her family, who had recently lost two other close relatives.

On the morning of August 17, 2024, Waltrice and her sister, Angel Dilliehunt, returned to an apartment complex in the 1600 block of 83rd Avenue in East Oakland, California. They were preparing to attend their 8-year-old niece’s birthday party and had stopped to get a change of clothes. They found their access to the building’s parking lot blocked by a neighbor's car. When Waltrice asked for the car to be moved, an argument broke out between her and the neighbor's girlfriend, Rebecca Taylor. The dispute escalated into a fistfight between the two women.

The girlfriend's partner, DeJuan Pickens, then became involved. According to police, Pickens retrieved a gun from a satchel and opened fire. The gunfire killed Waltrice and a 27-year-old man named Tyrell Bland. Angel Dilliehunt was shot four times and critically wounded but survived. A fourth woman was also injured in the shooting. After the attack, Pickens and Taylor fled the scene.

Police arrested the pair two days later, on August 19, at McNears Beach in Marin County. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office charged Pickens, then 34, with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Taylor, then 33, was charged with a felony count of being an accessory after the fact. Authorities stated that Taylor provided a full confession, admitting she helped Pickens escape.

The case against Rebecca Taylor was dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing in 2025. DeJuan Pickens proceeded to trial, where he testified that he shot Tyrell Bland in self-defense and that Waltrice Dilliehunt was hit by accident.

In June 2026, a jury found Pickens not guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter for Dilliehunt's death and attempted manslaughter for one of the surviving victims, though they reportedly leaned toward acquittal. He was convicted of a gun possession charge. As of that month, Pickens was set to face a new trial on the unresolved manslaughter charges by the end of the summer.