Thread: Nunez, pal plead guilty to lesser charge in SDSU slaying

Nunez, pal plead guilty to lesser charge in SDSU slaying

By City News Service
Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 4:05 p.m.

SAN DIEGO COURTS — The son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and another young man pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter today for the stabbing death of a college student on the San Diego State University campus.

Esteban Nunez, 21, and Ryan Jett, 24, each face up to 16 years in prison when they are sentenced June 25.

They each pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault for the Oct. 4, 2008, fight that killed 22-year-old Luis Santos, a student at Mesa College. The pleas came as a jury was being selected for their trial.

They were originally charged with murder, assault, vandalism, conspiracy to commit an assault and conspiracy to destroy evidence. If they had been convicted, they both could have faced 25 years to life behind bars.

Two co-defendants, 20-year-old Rafael Garcia and 21-year-old Leshanor Thomas, pleaded guilty earlier to lesser charges.

Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to destroy evidence and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution. Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an assault and assault with a deadly weapon.

A judge last year found that Nunez, Garcia and Jett were "talking smack'' and "looking for trouble'' at the apartment of Garcia's cousin in the hours leading up to the fatal stabbing.

The defendants were upset after being turned away from a fraternity party, according to evidence presented at the preliminary hearing.

Defense attorneys contended their clients were acting in self-defense after a fight broke out.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... u-slaying/

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http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1055211.html

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http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-961647.html

Illegal alien killed a college student.