DUBLIN — A Fremont man has been convicted of murder for killing an Oakland resident during some sort of dispute with the defendant’s girlfriend, who allegedly described herself as a local “escort” during a police interview.
Darreis Buckley, 28, was convicted of second degree murder, unlawful firearm activity, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jurors returned the verdict on Aug. 18, after a trial where Buckley testified in his own defense and his attorney argued he was attempting to defend his girlfriend from harm.
On Dec. 19, 2023, Buckley shot and killed 53-year-old Darwin Foster, of Oakland, at a home on Granite Ridge Apartments in Fremont. His girlfriend, a then-25-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of murder but never charged, told police in an interview that she was an “escort” who arranged to have sex with Foster for money, and described Buckley as her “boyfriend.” Police testified that she had “Darreis” tattooed on her face and that Buckley was saved as “Baby Daddy” on her phone, according to court records.
The woman also mentioned that Buckley didn’t like her bringing men to the home but that she “needed the money” and believed Buckley was gone when she invited Foster over. In his police interview, Buckley reportedly stated that he heard the woman screaming his name for help, and shot Foster to prevent him from hurting her.
“He said that he was supposed to go to the store but for some reason he had some sense that something was going to happen so he stayed behind,” Fremont police Det. Michael Paiva testified at the 2024 preliminary hearing.
The preliminary hearing judge, who also presided over Buckley’s trial, acknowledged that the defense’s theory was one interpretation.
“Another interpretation is that this was an ambush,” Judge Paul Delucchi said at the hearing.
At trial, prosecutors asked the jury to convict Buckley of first degree murder, while the defense argued that Foster “was assaulting Nyla Turner inside the apartment where Turner and Buckley lived,” according to court records. The verdict is an indicator that jurors rejected both theories, finding that it was a murder, but not a premeditated one.
Buckley, who has been in jail since late 2023, is set to be sentenced on Oct. 17, court records show.
According to the court records, Buckley has three prior felony convictions, including for attempted murder conviction in 2014, when he was 16. As an adult, he was convicted of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in 2018 and evading an officer with willful disregard for public safety in 2023.