Posted on 01/06/2011 8:20:11 AM PST by SmithL
In his last remaining hours as California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger issued three sentence commutations. The most notable went to the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, Esteban Núñez, who is serving time for voluntary manslaughter.
Núñez's legal problems began in San Diego on Oct. 4, 2008. After Núñez, then 19, and some friends were not admitted to a fraternity party, they went looking for a fight. They found a group of students who also had been drinking. After a short but fatal clash, Luis Dos Santos, 22, lay dying.
Schwarzenegger wrote that he reduced Núñez's sentence from 16 years to seven years because Núñez was not "the actual killer" and his sentence was "disproportionate" in that it was the same term given to Núñez's friend, Ryan Jett, "despite the evidence that Jett was a leader and instigator" who stabbed Santos in the heart. Also, Núñez had no criminal history, while Jett was a convicted felon out on probation at the time of the crime.
Schwarzenegger overlooked a few items. First, the sentence was the result of a plea agreement. Núñez knew that in pleading guilty, he could face as much as 16 years behind bars. By agreeing to this deal, he avoided a jury trial that could have put him in prison for life.
Second, while Núñez was not Santos' killer, he was carrying a knife, which he used to stab two of Santos' friends, one of them in the stomach.
As Santos lay dying, Núñez, Jett and two friends - who didn't stab anyone, but pleaded guilty to lesser charges - could have called for an ambulance. Instead, they ran - all the way to Sacramento.
Then they tried to cover up their crime.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Sad so many lacked the erudition to recognize just what a flake Arnold was - the recall of Davis presented a golden opportunity to save this state but too many republicans fell for the ‘but he can win’ crap.
We have another despicable abuse of power.
Pardoning the FALN terrorists, some of whom refused to leave prison.
Pardoning Marc Rich in exchange for dollars.
Arnold wants a position in the Obama administration. This pardon will help him get it.
It’s California the land of if it feels good do it baby.
I wonder if the Governator consulted the Pardonator, Mike Huckabee before commuting the sentence?
I think every Governor with pardoning power should be required to keep photographs of Maurice Clemmons and the 4 cops he murdered on their desks. If they can look at that every day and still let violent thugs loose on the streets, they are beyond hope.
Mayor Bloomers wants in to the O administration too.
Guess he can’t be Chief of Staff given the snow fiasco but maybe something in treasury?
Incompetent, unqualified stooges are the only ones to be considered.
Response: Of course,those in government favor the criminal element in our society. Basically criminals, actors, sodomites etc. etc. are members of the coalition taking over our government.
the smell of rotting Trojan Horse shall follow him to his dying day..
If there's any upside, it's that the young Nuñez was not pardoned outright.
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