Finally SOME Justice for Kate Steinle: Illegal Mexican immigrant acquitted of shooting San Francisco woman, 32, seven years ago Pleads Guilty to Possessing The Gun That Killed Her and now faces 10-year sentence
- Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate, 51, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of illegal gun possession in connection to the 2015 shooting of Kate Steinle
The illegal Mexican immigrant who was acquitted in the 2015 shooting of 32-year-old Kate Steinle on a San Francisco pier, after having been deported five times, has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing the gun that killed her, in a case that outraged the nation.
Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate, 51, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty on Monday to being a felon in possession of a firearm and being in the United States illegally while in possession of a firearm. He faces up to 10 years in prison per count, plus three years of supervised release. He's currently detained in federal custody in California.
Garcia-Zarate's guilty plea comes seven years after he fatally shot Steinle in the back as she walked along Pier 40 with her father and a family friend in 2015. He had claimed the shooting was accidental and that he was handling a handgun he found wrapped in a T-shirt under a bench on the pier when it accidentally fired.
The case catalyzed an intense debate over immigration policies and sanctuary cities, which limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. It also became a fixture in Donald Trump's stumps speeches during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate, 51, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of illegal gun possession in connection to the 2015 shooting of Kate Steinle. He is pictured above in court during a 2015 appearance
He was accused of fatally shooting Kate Steinle (above) in the back as she walked along Pier 40 with her father and a family friend
He was released under San Francisco's so-called sanctuary city policy that barred local law enforcement officials from cooperating with most federal immigration investigations.
Illegal immigrant accused of 2015 shooting of Kate Steinle in SF pleads guilty to weapons offenses | Daily Mail Online