San Francisco teen faces adult trial in Max Maltzman murder case

A 17-year-old suspect may become the first minor in San Francisco to be tried as an adult in over a decade following the murder of 18-year-old Max Maltzman.

Maltzman was reported missing from his Lower Nob Hill apartment in January 2023. His body was discovered more than two weeks later at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard inside an abandoned warehouse. Prosecutors allege Maltzman was lured to the location with the promise of a party before being attacked. The suspect reportedly attempted to conceal the body under a large steel plate.

A key piece of evidence in the investigation was a cryptic graffiti tag, “EBOK,” spray-painted above the victim with an arrow pointing down. Investigators eventually linked the tag to a former classmate from Raoul Wallenberg High School who was a graffiti artist at the time. Despite the clue, the suspect was not arrested until November 2024. The identification was ultimately supported by cellphone data and surveillance footage showing the victim and the suspect entering the warehouse together.