The third day in the trial of a homeless illegal immigrant from Mexico charged with killing Kate Steinle featured testimony from officers who were at the crime scene.
Both sides quickly finished their questioning Wednesday of San Francisco Police Officer Raymond Ortiz, who was part of the CSI unit that responded to Pier 14 the night of July 1, 2015, when Steinle was shot and killed in San Francisco.
During his testimony on Tuesday, Ortiz showed jurors video and several pictures showing the entire length of the pier, including the swivel chair the defendant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was in, the exact spot where Kate was hit, and the location of several witnesses in relation to them.
SFPD Officer Andrew Bryant, who arrested Zarate after the shooting, took the stand next. Bryant told the jury that he noticed the suspect on the scene and when Zarate saw him, his eyes got very big, “like deer in headlights,” and quickly walked the other direction.
Bryant said he pulled out his weapon and yelled “stop,” but the suspect kept walking. A plainclothed officer appeared and ordered Zarate to the ground, which he obeyed.
He said Zarate was cuffed and searched before being sat in the back of the police car. About 45 minutes later, the suspect’s hands were put in bags to protect any gun residue that was potentially on them.
When the defense team cross-examined Bryant, they suggested that perhaps the residue ultimately found on Zarate’s hands was actually transferred to him from an officer.
The jury also heard from SFPD Bomb Squad Officer Scott Hurley, who’s part of the “underwater hazards device team” and recovered the murder weapon from the ocean floor.
None of the victim’s family members were seen in court.
On Tuesday, jurors heard from Michelle Lo, a witness to the slaying.
KATE STEINLE TRIAL FEATURES TESTIMONY OF WITNESS TO KILLING BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Lo said she was on vacation in San Francisco with her family at the time. She remembered a man dressed in black who “looked like a homeless person” and was spinning around in a chair “grinning and laughing” who made her uncomfortable.
She said she and her family continued along a pier before hearing a “very sharp scream” and seeing a woman on the ground. And she said she saw the same man from earlier walking away.
Zarate, 54, admitted shooting Steinle, but says it was an accident.
Steinle’s father testified Monday that before she died, she said to him: “Help me, Dad.”
The prosecution said those were her last words.
While Garcia’s immigration status is what brought the case into the national spotlight, jurors will not hear evidence about that, and it will not be a factor in the trial.
Steinle’s slaying became a signature issue for Donald Trump as he was running for president. He invoked the slaying in calling for the construction of a wall on the Mexican border and stepping up deportations and cracking down on illegal immigration.
Fox News’ Jennifer Girdon in San Francisco contributed to this report.
