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A
congressional staffer puts up a photo of Kate Steinle,
who was fatally shot in broad daylight on
San Francisco's popular Pier
14 while walking with her father, Jim Steinle. He testified before the
Senate Judiciary Committee on the death of his daughter on July 21,
2015.
(Photo: EPA/Michael Reynolds/Newscom)
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The Daily Signal
Jury Finds Illegal
Immigrant Not Guilty in Killing of Kate Steinle
Will Racke
November 30, 2017
A San Francisco jury found the illegal immigrant accused of killing
Kate Steinle not guilty of murder Thursday, a stunning result in a case
that ignited a nationwide debate over illegal immigration and sanctuary
cities.
Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 45, was found not guilty on all counts in the
2015 shooting, except for felony possession of a weapon. Zarate faced a
charge of second-degree murder, but jurors were instructed to consider
first-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
At trial, Zarate admitted to firing the shot that killed Steinle, 32,
but contended that he had picked up a .40-caliber handgun underneath a
bench on the San Francisco pier and accidentally fired it July 1, 2015.
A ballistics investigation revealed that the bullet skipped off the
pavement before hitting Steinle in the back as she walked with her
father on a popular pier, lending credence to Zarate’s claims that the
shooting was an accident.
A Mexican national, Zarate–then known as Juan Francisco
López-Sánchez–is a seven-time convicted felon who had been deported
from the U.S. five times before the shooting.
Just months before the shooting, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officials lodged an immigration detainer for Zarate with the San
Francisco sheriff’s office, which declined the request.
In an interview with local media, Zarate said he had made his way to
San Francisco because he knew he would be less likely to be deported
because of the city’s sanctuary policies. The incident sparked a
nationwide debate over sanctuary cities and later became a central
theme of Donald Trump’s campaign for president.
This summer, the House of Representatives passed a bill known as Kate’s
Law, which would toughen penalties for illegal immigrants who have been
deported and then illegally re-enter the country.
The bill has not been taken up in the Senate.
Read this article with photos at The Daily Signal
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