A Mexican immigrant was found not guilty of killing a woman at a San Francisco pier two years ago by a jury Thursday.
A Mexican immigrant was found not guilty of killing a woman at a San Francisco pier two years ago on Thursday.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who had been deported five times from the U. S., was accused of fatally shooting 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle in the back on July 1,2015.
Though a jury acquitted him in her murder, Garcia Zarate was found guilty of possessing a firearm. Garcia Zarate didn’t deny the shooting and said it was an accident.
The shooting happened during the presidential campaign, which set off a national immigration debate and prompted President Trump to trumpet harsh immigration policies.
Garcia Zarate’s defense attorneys argued he was homeless man who accidentally shotSteinle, but prosecutors said it was intentional.
The verdict sparked intense reactions from staunch conservatives including Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
“When jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public’s safety at risk,“ Sessions said in a statement. „San Francisco’s decision to protect criminal aliens led to the preventable and heartbreaking death of Kate Steinle“
„Such an insane recent news cycle, and now this?? Outrageous “not guilty” verdict in murder case of Kate Steinle,“ former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted. „The illegal alien who shot her was just given more rights, grace and favor than the devastated Steinle family. San Francisco is NOT a safe place.“
„Jury convinced that illegal alien killed Kate Steinle accidentally,“conservative commentator Ann Coulter tweeted. „She would still be alive if we had a wall.“
With News Wire Services
