Prosecutors have dropped a murder charge against a woman who was arrested last week in connection with the death of a jewelry studio owner in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, district attorney’s spokesman Seth Steward said today.
Tanya Rains, 58, was arrested on suspicion of murder and burglary after Lyn Magnuson’s body was found at about 8 p.m. Tuesday at his business, Lynard Hawk, 31, was also arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the business, but did not face murder charges.
At the pair’s arraignment on Friday, prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Rains, Steward said.
He did not explain why the charge was dropped, but said the case remains under investigation.
Magnuson, 65, was found by officers responding to a request for a well-being check at the business. He had suffered a gunshot wound, police said.
Magnuson may have died days before his body was found, police Officer Eric Chiang said.
Rains and Hawk were arrested after police found evidence linking them to the crime scene, Chiang said.
Both Rains and Hawk pleaded not guilty to the burglary charges, and are due to return to court later today to set the next hearing in the case.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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