Mexican man not guilty in killing that stoked immigration debate
SAN FRANCISCO — A jury Thursday found a Mexican man not guilty in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that touched off a fierce national immigration debate two years ago, rejecting possible charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder.
The shooting of Kate Steinle came during the presidential primary campaign in 2015 and was used by then-candidate Donald Trump to push for a wall on the Mexican border.
“From Day 1, this case was used as a means to foment hate, to foment division and to foment a program of mass deportation. It was used to catapult a presidency along that philosophy of hate of others,” defense attorney Fran- cisco Ugarte said after the verdict. “I believe today is a day of vindication for the rest of immigrants.”
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father on the pier.
The case spotlighted San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with U.S. immigration authorities.
Politics, however, did not come up in the monthlong rial that featured extensive testimony from ballistics experts. Defense attorneys argued that Garcia Zarate was a hapless homeless man who killed Steinle in a freak accident.
Prosecutors said he meant to shoot and kill her.
Garcia Zarate did not deny shooting Steinle and said it was an accident.
Jurors did find him guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Public Defender Jeff Adachi said the count carries a potential sentence of 16 months to three years behind bars.
“The verdict that came in today was not the one we were hoping for,” said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the San Francisco prosecutor’s office. “The jury came back with the verdict they did, and we will respect that decision . ... This is really about the Steinle family. They showed incredible resolve during this whole process.”
Jim Steinle told the San Francisco Chronicle the family was saddened and shocked by the verdict.
“There’s no other way you can coin it. Justice was rendered, but it was not served,” he said.
The family did not attend the reading of the verdict. Jurors left without comment and the judge sealed their names.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that San Francisco’s decision to release Garcia Zarate led to Steinle’s death.
“The Department of Justice will continue to ensure that all jurisdictions place the safety and security of their communities above the convenience of criminal aliens,” Sessions said. “I urge the leaders of the nation’s communities to reflect on the outcome of this case and consider carefully the harm they are doing to their citizens by refusing to cooperate with federal law enforcement officers.”
Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan said that immigration officials would take custody of Zarate once his case concludes and deport him.
President Donald Trump called the verdict “disgraceful” in a tweet, adding it is “no wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration.”