SAN FRANCISCO (Washington Insider Magazine) – A Mexican man entered a guilty plea Monday to federal firearms charges after being acquitted of homicide in the 2015 killing of a woman on San Francisco pier which became a nationwide controversy over immigration.
Jose Inez Garcia Zarate, 51, pleaded guilty almost 7 years after killing Kate Steinle as she strolled along the busy waterfront on July 1, 2015. According to ABC NEWS, the case sparked a nationwide discussion over immigration and sanctuary towns, which restrict local participation with federal immigration officials.
Garcia Zarate was cleared of several counts, including murder, by a San Francisco Superior Court jury in late 2017. Federal authorities accused him of 2 counts of unlawful gun ownership soon after his acquittal.
The federal firearms counts had been outstanding since 2017 when Judge Vince Chhabria of the United States District Court voiced concerns regarding Garcia Zarate’s mental capacity. Garcia Zarate was diagnosed with schizophrenia by 2 doctors, and he was deemed incompetent to face trial since he couldn’t comprehend the court hearings.
Last month, one of the doctors testified in court that Garcia Zarate was fit to face trial after consuming his prescription on a regular basis.
Chhabria requested that Garcia Zarate outline the allegations against him on Monday in order to prove his competency.
Garcia Zarate stated through a court translator in Spanish, “The charges are because I was in the country illegally and had a gun.”
Garcia Zarate had already been deported 5 times and was on the run for a 6th when he shot and killed Steinle, 32.
He admitted to having the weapon that killed Steinle but claimed it accidentally discharged when he discovered it bundled in a T-shirt underneath a seat on Pier 15, where she and her father were walking.
The incident became a key campaign topic in a number of national and municipal elections around the nation. During his 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump used the tragedy to strengthen his case for tighter immigration laws and his hostility to so-called sanctuary communities that restrict assistance with immigration officers.
Garcia Zarate may face up to ten years in jail if convicted. On June 6, he is set to be sentenced.
Image via Yahoo! News
