He Preached Self-Improvement — But Prosecutors Say 'Life Coach' Was Hiding a Deadly Secret

A California life coach was arrested on May 29 on suspicion of killing four men over the course of two decades.

Sauntek Harris, 44, was charged with four fatal shootings beginning in 2002, according to a statement from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. He was arrested along with an accomplice, Shaun Britton, 48, who was charged with one count of murder. 

Harris was an activist and life coach at a community center in Hunters Point, the San Francisco Examiner previously reported. He allegedly began the shootings in retaliation after losing a fight. 

Harris and Britton allegedly committed the first murder on Jan. 18, 2002, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. Per the statement and according to the criminal complaint, the murder, a deadly shooting done with an assault rifle, was believed to have been “committed for a criminal street gang and was an act of street terrorism.”

On Feb. 24, 2002, Harris allegedly conducted the second murder of Lorenzo Richards with a semi-automatic pistol. And on July 28, 2002, Gerald White was killed by a semi-automatic pistol. The complaint includes several allegations regarding this murder, including that the victim was killed because he was a witness to a crime and was going to give testimony about it.  

Prosecutors say that Harris committed the fourth murder of Dietrich Whitley years later on Aug. 10, 2019 using a semi-automatic pistol. The complaint also includes several allegations regarding this murder, including that Harris committed it while, “lying in wait,” their statement said. 

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Harris was also charged with possession of a firearm as a felon, prosecutors say. He was previously convicted of having a concealed firearm and transportation, sale and giving away a controlled substance in January 2004 — which were both felonies in San Francisco —the statement said. 

Harris and Britton are both currently in custody. The two were moved to be detained pending trial due to the public safety risk they pose, according to the district attorney’s office.