The jurors in the Kate Steinle case announced their NOT GUILTY verdict last night. Both my wife and I (and most loving Americans) almost came out of our chairs. The verdict left us both feeling empty inside. How could the jurors possibly come up with this verdict?
You know the horrific story. Ms. Steinle was walking along pier 14 in San Francisco with her father when suddenly she was struck in the back by a bullet. Laying in her father’s arms, looking up at him she said, “Help me Dad.” Kate later died in the hospital.
Jose Zarate, an illegal Hispanic man shot her. According to his defense attorneys it was an accident. The jury bought it.
The claim is that Zarate, who had been deported over five times found the gun under a park bench wrapped up in something. When he took the gun out he dropped it and it fired. The bullet bounced off something and struck Ms. Steinle in the back. That’s the claim, that’s what the jurors believed.
There are probably many things that we, on the outside don’t know that the jurors do know. I understand that and respect it. But, yes there is a but… what I don’t understand and can’t accept are the facts that 1. He was here illegally, something the jurors were not aware of. You might say “what does that have to do with anything?” Well, it has everything to do with the character of the man. In what way, you say? It shows the man has no regard for the law, he is a law breaker. 2. During his illegal time in the country, he had been arrested on several occasions. This was another fact that the jury was not privy to. Now we know we have a man in the country illegally who broke our laws on several occasions. This again shows the character of the man, he is a lawless person. 3. He picked up a gun off the street that was reportedly not his. So what! What does that have to do with anything? “He” picked up the gun. So now we have an illegal man, who has prior convictions walking around with a loaded gun. He had the gun, the bullet that came from the gun killed the young women. He had the gun, the gun didn’t jump out from under the park bench, out of the wrapping and pull its own trigger. Remember, guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
That’s about it, how much clearer can this be? How is the case more complicated than that?
Let me recap; a man is in the country illegally, he has prior convictions, he has a gun, the gun is fired, an innocent women is killed, period. I will even accept the story that Zarate didn’t mean to kill Kate so no first degree murder charge. I don’t like it but, I can close one eye and live with it. But no charge at all? Not even man slaughter? This is an awful and unjust verdict.
As a father, picturing this just turns my stomach. It makes me so sad for the family and so angry. Justice has let the family down; let us all down, really. It makes me despise the state of California even more than I did before. The leadership in this beautiful state endangers all those who legally reside there and all of us throughout the U.S. with their sanctuary city policy. They actually passed a law that basically says “go to hell America, screw federal law, we accept all illegal people and care nothing about your background”. Is this the world we are living in today? This is truly dangerous and unacceptable. To top it off, this arrogant state is suing the Federal Government because they are (the Feds) threatening to stop all funding to the state for breaking federal immigration law. They’re suing the Government which is you and me, because they are breaking the law. That’s where we are in this country. It’s like the bank robber suing the bank because he slipped and broke his ankle while jumping over the counter… And in California, the robber would probably win the case.
Stay strong Steinle family, our thoughts and prayers are with you.