He got the jury nullification he wanted.
Via Mercury News:
In a stunning verdict sure to reignite a national firestorm over immigration, a San Francisco jury on Thursday found an undocumented immigrant not guilty in the shooting death of Kate Steinle two years ago on a San Francisco pier.
The jury, which included three immigrants, weighed charges against Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 54, accused of gunning down Steinle in July 2015 while she was walking with her father on Pier 14 in San Francisco’s Embarcadero district.
Gracia Zarate, wearing a light white striped shirt and dark slacks, showed no reaction as the verdicts were read, only shifting forward once when the court clerk read that he was not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
The jury of six men and six women, stared straight ahead, emotionless and not reacting. Department 13, Judge Samuel Feng’s courtroom, remained mostly silent during the verdicts, a stark contrast to the frenzy of media waiting in the hallways for the news of the verdicts.[…]
In an interview following the verdict, defense attorney Matt Gonzalez said this “verdict should be respected.”
Gonzalez said he was bracing for criticism of the verdict from the White House and said it was important to remember that the president, vice president, and attorney general were under investigation themselves and should appreciate that they would be afforded the protections of the justice system.
“Before you start tweeting or commenting on this outcome, just reflect on the fact that all of us get these protections. We get a right to a jury. We get these burdens of proof. We have to respect that a jury that spent this much time on this case got it right.”[…]
Judge Feng thanked the jurors for their service, stating that they have “all been fantastic” during the three-week-long trial.
Garcia Zarate, who has spent more than two years in jail, faces 16 months to two to three years for a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no sentencing date.