The suspect in the case of the tragic death of a 74-year-old woman at BART’s Powell Street Station was unable to attend his initial court arraignment due to mental health evaluations. The man, identified as 49-year-old Trevor Belmont, was accused of pushing Corazon Dandan into an oncoming train last week. Judge Brian Stretch of the San Francisco Superior Court mentioned today that Belmont, also known as Hoak Taing, was still undergoing medical evaluation, reported The San Francisco Chronicle.
While discussing the incident, BART Police described Belmont as a transient individual who, shortly after allegedly committing the act, was taken into custody from the train platform itself. According to jail records obtained by The SF Standard, he was placed in San Francisco General as of Monday morning for close observation.
Details surrounding the devastating incident disclose that Dandan, who was reported to be a resident of Daly City, was waiting for her Millbrae-bound train home after her shift as a telephone operator when she was struck. Public records and family accounts portray her as a diligent worker who continued her employment despite surpassing retirement age, as detailed by The SF Standard based on a statement from her nephew, a St. Louis doctor.
On the legal front, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Belmont with murder and elder abuse. Specifically, it alleged that he intentionally inflicted injury on a vulnerable victim while lying in wait. No representatives came forward at the court to speak on Belmont's behalf. However, Marlene Tran, representing Stop Crime SF, expressed deep sorrow for Dandan's death, "It makes me teary-eyed,” Tran said, “For such an exemplary person to die of such a tragic death", The SF Standard captured in their report. Having lived in San Francisco since the 1980s after arriving from the Philippines, Dandan's loss resonates deeply within the community.
