Public Defender Statement on Garcia Zarate Verdict

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released the following statement today following the acquittal of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate on murder and manslaughter charges.
 
“Mr. Garcia Zarate is extremely relieved by today’s verdict.  The untimely death of Kate Steinle was a horrible tragedy. That tragedy was compounded when it was used as political fodder for then candidate Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda.   The facts of this case were largely uncontroverted:  a gun was found on the pier and it accidentally discharged, ricocheting from a distance of nearly 80 feet.  But the prosecution inexplicably charged an accident it as a first degree murder.  Despite the unfairly politicized atmosphere surrounding this case, jurors focused on the evidence, which was clear and convincing, and rendered a just verdict.”

You can read more coverage of this case at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/san-francisco-pier-shooting-jury-ends-day-5-without-verdict/2017/11/29/967e320e-d569-11e7-9ad9-ca0619edfa05_story.html?utm_term|EQUALS|.92617000db9c