Kate Steinle Killer Violated 2015 Probation – Could Still Face Jail Time

In a shock verdict decision last week, illegal alien Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was found “not guilty” in the murder of 32-year old Katie Steinle, whom he shot and killed in 2015. The verdict quickly produced outrage, especially from numerous figures in the White House, including spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders and President Donald Trump himself.

No one denied that Zarate killed Steinle – including himself. The prosecution managed to present the case as an accidental shooting – and only jurors with the politics of San Francisco could’ve possibly believed that the one time a gun managed to go off accidentally in all of human history happened when Zarata held it before a crowd. It would be obvious to point out that had a man killed an illegal immigrant with an illegally obtained firearm in San Francisco, the story (and acquittal) would’ve attracted a media circus, but alas, that never materialized in this case.

And it’s a flawed analogy – only due to the ridiculous fact that information regarding Zarate’s legal status, and numerous deportations, weren’t permitted in court (and thus the jurors had no knowledge of it).

Zarate was only charged with possession of an illegal firearm, which carries a charge of 16 months to three years in prison. However, since under California’s jail credit system, each day behind bars counts as two days credit served (assuming good behavior), that means Zarate won’t set foot in jail for the murder at all.

But there may still be justice. According to CBS News a revised warrant for Zarate’s arrest has been unsealed on Friday:

The warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the western district of Texas says Zarate was sentenced in Texas on May 12, 2011 to 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally re-entering the U.S.

The warrant says the terms of the supervised release, which began March 26, 2015, barred Zarate from committing another crime and from possessing a firearm. He was still bound to the terms of that release when Steinle was shot and killed. Though he was acquitted of murder Thursday, he was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

So it sounds like the gun conviction proves Zarate violated the conditions of his supervised release.

Neither CBS News nor any of the other stories indicate what the result of violating supervised release could be for Zarate but from what I’m seeing on other sites this can lead to additional jail time, especially if the violation is a felony involving a firearm. I’ll leave that to the lawyers to sort out, but it sounds as if there’s at least a possibility Zarate could face some additional time behind bars after all.

Meanwhile, ICE says that they intend to deport Zarata…… again!

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By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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