Undocumented Mexican immigrant acquitted of controversial murder of U.S. woman

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- A jury of the San Francisco Superior Court Thursday acquitted an undocumented Mexican immigrant of murder and manslaughter for killing a woman on a Bay pier in 2015.

The court pronounced 45-year-old Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty of shooting Kate Steinle to death while she was walking on Pier 14 of San Francisco, media reports said.

However, Zarate was convicted of a single lesser charge of being a felon in possession of a gun, which may carry a sentence of three years in prison.

Prosecutors had argued that Zarate intentionally shot Steinle, 32, with a handgun, but his defense attorney insisted the shooting was accidental and the bullet ricocheted off the ground and traveled about 80 feet (about 24 meters) before hitting Steinle.

Steinle's death has aroused a huge debate nationwide over San Francisco's sanctuary law, under which the San Francisco law enforcement department has refused to comply with a federal order to deport Zarate back to Mexico for the sixth time as he had been deported from the United States five times.

The verdict of acquittal on Thursday stunned many people, including U.S. President Donald Trump.

"A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration," he tweeted.

Trump has been pursuing a tougher immigration policy for undocumented immigrants since he took office early this year. Enditem