Jewelry

Man gets 3 life sentences for 2013 killings at SF jewelry shop - SFGate - SFGate

An Antioch man convicted in the 2013 killings of two store clerks at a South of Market jewelry shop and the attempted murder of the store owner over a price dispute was sentenced to 266 years in prison on Wednesday, the San Francisco district attorney said.

A judge sentenced 27-year-old Barry White Jr. to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole in addition to a third life sentence with the possibility of parole.

“The fact that this man took two lives and attempted to take others over a piece of jewelry demonstrates a disturbing disregard for human life,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “No sentence can undo the damage this man did to the victims’ families, but San Franciscans are safer with this man behind bars for the rest of his life.”

A jury in July found White guilty on 16 charges, including murder and attempted murder, stemming from a deadly 2013 altercation inside the San Francisco Gift Center and Jewelry Mart on Brannan Street.

According to court records, White cut the throats of both 51-year-old Lina Lim and 35-year-old Khin Min. He also shot Lim and Vic Hung, the shop’s owner, with a revolver. Only Hung survived the attack.

The killings were prompted by a dispute over the price of a gold chain White ordered from Hung’s shop, Victoga, in May 2013. White ordered the piece for $5,573.43 and received it in June, but he was dissatisfied with the necklace.

White said the necklace was lighter than he expected and made an appointment to discuss the sale with Hung. Hung initially offered White a $700 refund, but White asked for $1,000 repeatedly and declined Hung’s offer, telling the shopkeeper, “I will make you pay.”

The killings occurred when White returned to the store on July 12, 2013, according to court records. After waiting for other customers to leave the store, White again asked for $1,000, which Hung refused. White then pulled out a gun and shot Hung before killing Lim and Min.

White then left the store and reloaded his gun, firing at responding officers before ducking into a nearby taqueria. He surrendered when he ran out of ammunition.

Police found an assault weapon in the back seat of White’s car after he was apprehended. White was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the killings, the district attorney said.

Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15