Mexican man found not guilty in Calif. pier killing

San Francisco — A jury on Thursday found a Mexican man not guilty in the killing of a woman on a San Francisco pier that touched off a national immigration debate two years ago, rejecting possible charges ranging from involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder.

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth deportation when Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back while walking with her father on the pier.

The shooting came during the presidential primary campaign in July 2015 and touched off a fierce debate over the country’s immigration policies in the presidential race the following year.

The case spotlighted San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” policy, which limits local officials from cooperating with U.S. immigration authorities.

“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 Francisco Ugarte said after the verdict. “I believe today is a day of vindication for the rest of immigrants.”

Politics, however, did not come up in the month-long trial 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, which Public Defender Jeff Adachi said carries a potential sentence of 16 months to three years.

“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.”

“(This case) was used to foment hate, to foment division and to foment a program of mass deportation.” DEFENSE ATTORNEY FRANCISCO UGARTE