Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Time Served for Mexican Charged in 2015 Kate Steinle Killing on Embarcadero
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
June 7, 2022

Share

 

A California federal judge on Monday sentenced the Mexican man acquitted of murder in the 2015 shooting death of a woman on a San Francisco pier to the seven years he’s already spent in jail — bringing to a legal close the case that ignited a national firestorm over immigration, crime and sanctuary cities.

Jose Inez Garcia Zarate was in the U.S. illegally when Kate Steinle, 32, was fatally shot along a crowded Pier 14 where she was walking with her father and a family friend. He faces deportation and U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria told him in court to never return to the U.S.

The shooting shocked a country already divided over immigration and fueled Donald Trump’s successful campaign for president. Trump called for a crackdown on unlawful immigration and the sanctuary cities and states — including San Francisco and California — that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Garcia Zarate admitted firing the gun on July 4, 2015, but said he found it under a bench and didn’t know what it was when he picked it up because it was wrapped in a T-shirt. The gun fired accidentally after he picked it up, he said. Officials said the bullet ricocheted off the ground and hit Steinle.

He was acquitted of homicide charges by a San Francisco jury in 2017 but faced firearms charges in federal court. In March, he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and a person illegally in the country in possession of a firearm.

“If you return to this country again and you are back in front of me, I will not spare you. Let this be your last warning: do not return to this country,” Chhabria said before sentencing Garcia Zarate to the time he has already served.

Chhabria also delivered a harsh rebuke of the mental health treatment received by Garcia Zarate for his schizophrenia while in custody, which the judge said was virtually nonexistent.

Garcia Zarate will be sent to Texas, where he faces a federal judge for failing to report his location when he was released from a San Francisco jail shortly before the shooting. He had been deported five times and was on track to be removed from the U.S. again when he shot Steinle.

The maximum sentence on the firearms charges was 10 years. Prosecutors agreed to the sentence of time served plus three years of probation. Garcia Zarate’s lawyers wanted a shorter sentence so he could apply any time left over in case the judge in Texas imposes additional prison time.

The handgun belonged to a U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger who reported it stolen from his parked car a week before Steinle was killed.

Before the killing, Garcia Zarate had recently completed a prison sentence for illegal re-entry to the U.S. when he was transferred to San Francisco to face a 20-year-old marijuana charge.

Prosecutors declined the case, but the San Francisco sheriff released him from jail despite a federal immigration request to detain him for at least two more days for deportation.

Garcia Zarate “feels horrible about what happened, and that he’s very sorry and apologizes,” his lawyer, Mike Hinckley, said in court Monday.

The judge said he does not believe that prosecutors proved that Garcia Zarate had acted with criminal recklessness in the shooting and that he likely did not understand what was happening that day when he killed Steinle, because of his mental health illness.

Chhabria also expressed sympathy for Garcia Zarate, who spent most of his seven years in county jail without medication or meaningful treatment.

Two doctors diagnosed Garcia Zarate with schizophrenia and found him unfit to stand trial because he could not follow the court proceedings.

“That must have been hell,” Chhabria said.

But the judge also said that consequences matter and that Garcia Zarate admitted being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Steinle’s relatives were not present in court for the sentencing and prosecutors said her family did not want to participate in the proceedings.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

DON'T MISS

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

DON'T MISS

US-China Tariff Talks to Continue Sunday, an Official Tells The Associated Press

DON'T MISS

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

DON'T MISS

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

DON'T MISS

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

DON'T MISS

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

DON'T MISS

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

DON'T MISS

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

DON'T MISS

Tax the Rich? Slash Spending? Republicans Wrestle With Economic Priorities in the Trump Era

UP NEXT

‘Luigi Mangione Act’ Seeks to Block Health Insurance Denials, Sparks Outrage Over Name

UP NEXT

Floods Exposed Weaknesses in California Prisons’ Emergency Plans. They Still Aren’t Ready

UP NEXT

Other States Are Showing California How to Protect Its Budget Without Cutting Needed Services

UP NEXT

Los Angeles Coliseum and SoFi Stadium to Share Opening and Closing Ceremonies for 2028 Olympics

UP NEXT

Head Start Gets a Reprieve From Trump Budget Cuts, but the Fight Isn’t Over

UP NEXT

Kaiser in the Hot Seat as CA Lawmakers Blast Company for Skipping Mental Health Hearing

UP NEXT

Disney Parks Thrive in Second Quarter. Company Adds 1.4 Million New Streaming Subscribers

UP NEXT

Trump Says His Administration ‘Is Not Going to Pay’ for California High-Speed Rail

UP NEXT

Trump Orders the Reopening of Alcatraz Prison

UP NEXT

At Least Three Drowned After Small Boat Overturns Near San Diego

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

1 day ago

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

1 day ago

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

1 day ago

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

1 day ago

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

1 day ago

Soviet-Era Spacecraft Plunges to Earth After 53 Years Stuck in Orbit

1 day ago

Tax the Rich? Slash Spending? Republicans Wrestle With Economic Priorities in the Trump Era

1 day ago

Israeli Airstrikes Kill 23 in Gaza as Outcry Over Aid Blockade Grows

1 day ago

Experts Call Kennedy’s Plan to find Autism’s Cause Unrealistic

1 day ago

Trump’s Trip to Saudi Arabia Raises the Prospect of US Nuclear Cooperation With the Kingdom

1 day ago

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

A recent study from TripIt and Edelman Data & Intelligence discovered 69% of millennials and Gen Z use social media to find inspiration ...

7 hours ago

https://www.communitymedical.org/thecause?utm_source=Misfit+Digital&utm_medium=GVWire+Banner+Ads&utm_campaign=Branding+2025&utm_content=thecause
7 hours ago

The TikTok Effect: Viral Videos Create the Next Travel Hotspots

8 hours ago

‘The Studio’ Knows the Real Reason Movies Are Bad

22 hours ago

US-China Tariff Talks to Continue Sunday, an Official Tells The Associated Press

1 day ago

Has America Given Up on Children’s Learning?

1 day ago

Could Trump Team Suspend Habeas Corpus to Expedite Deportations?

The Clovis Police Department identified two suspects they have arrested in connection with the murder of Caleb Quick, 18, at a Saturday, May 10, 2025, news conference. (GV Wire Composite)
1 day ago

Two Teens Charged in Shooting Death of Caleb Quick

1 day ago

India and Pakistan Agree to a Ceasefire After Their Worst Military Escalation in Decades

1 day ago

Ukraine and Allies Urge Putin to Commit to a 30-Day Ceasefire or Face New Sanctions

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend