A 48-year-old San Francisco man has been sentenced to two years in state prison after a jury convicted him of stabbing his elderly father with two kitchen knives inside the home they shared, leaving the older man hospitalized with severe blood loss. Feng Lin was found guilty of felony assault with a deadly weapon for the March 2024 attack, which authorities say sent his father to the hospital in need of emergency care for several stab and slash wounds.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the conviction and sentence, a case covered by KRON4. “While nothing can undo the trauma this family has endured, I hope this verdict brings them some measure of comfort as they continue to heal,” Jenkins said, according to the outlet's report. Lin's two-year term reflects the lower end of the sentencing range for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm under California Penal Code Section 245(a)(1), which the Hedding Law Firm notes is a wobbler offense carrying a potential two, three, or four years in state prison as a felony.
Assistant District Attorney Jordyn Sequeira, who tried the case, said the victim and his family endured an incredibly difficult and lengthy process. Sequeira expressed gratitude for the family's patience, courage, and trust, and said she hoped the verdict and sentence would provide them some closure, per the same KRON4 account.
A Case Built Around Protecting Elderly Victims
The prosecution falls under the DA's office's Vulnerable Victims Unit, which Jenkins established in September 2022 specifically to oversee cases involving elder abuse, hate crimes, and physical attacks targeting senior citizens, according to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Separately, California Penal Code Section 368 defines physical elder abuse against people 65 and older as its own wobbler offense, carrying up to four years in state prison with additional enhancements if the victim suffers great bodily injury, as explained by Eisner Gorin LLP.
Lin's case lands amid broader strain on the San Francisco Police Department unit tasked with investigating domestic violence and elder abuse. The Special Victims Unit's detective count has fallen from roughly 60 in 2019 to about 31 in 2026, Hoodline has previously reported, a staffing drop that underscores the investigative workload facing officers who respond to family violence incidents in the city.
Domestic Violence Within the Broader Crime Picture
Citywide, reported aggravated assaults fell by 10% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2019, according to a report from the Council on Criminal Justice. Aggravated assault has been identified as a leading violent-crime category linked to domestic relationships.
That pattern tracks with a wider statewide trend. While total domestic violence calls have decreased over the last two decades, law enforcement data shows an increase in the physical severity of individual incidents, according to an analysis published by the Public Policy Institute of California. California Department of Justice data covering 2018 through 2022 shows San Francisco County averaged 800 domestic violence calls for assistance per 100,000 female residents per year, placing it 25th among the state's 58 counties, per the California Budget & Policy Center.
Legal Options Beyond Criminal Prosecution
Separate from criminal cases like Lin's, victims of elder or dependent adult abuse in San Francisco County can petition the Superior Court for Civil Elder Abuse Restraining Orders, a legal avenue that allows courts to bar abusive family members or caregivers from coming near a victim, according to the Superior Court of California.
Anyone experiencing domestic violence or in need of support is advised to seek help or call 911 in an emergency, according to the KRON4 report. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached by texting START to 88788 or calling 800.799.7233. Additional local resources include WOMAN, Inc. at 877.384.3578, the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic at 415.969.6711, La Casa de las Madres at 415.200.3575, A Woman's Place at 415.487.2140, Mission Neighborhood Resource Center at 415.869.7977, the Asian Women's Shelter at 877.751.0880, the Riley Center at St. Vincent de Paul SF at 415.255.0165, and Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence at 888.260.1498 ext. 1.
