Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez.
Governor Schwartzenegger commutes sentence of Esteban Nunez.
On his last day in office, Governor Schwartzenegger commuted the 16 year prison sentence for the son of Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. Esteban and three others were arrested and convicted of the stabbing death of a 22 year old San Diego State University college student.
In the Governor's commutation report Nunez admitted he stabbed one of the college students in the stomach. Schwartzenegger’s report cites the fact that Ryan Jett who murdered Luis Dos Santos received 16 years in prison therefore it wasn’t fair for Nunez to receive the same sentence. Wasn’t fair? Why wasn’t Jett charged with murder? Why wasn’t he given a gang enhancement because of his known gang involvement? Nunez admitted that he and Jett and the others were part of a criminal street gang called the “Hazard Crew.“ If Jett would have been charged with murder instead of being allowed to plea bargain down to voluntary manslaughter, Nunez’s sentence of 16 years would not be considered by the Governor to be excessive. Why wasn’t Nunez or any of these gang members charged with a gang enhancement?
Nunez and his friends didn’t like the idea of being told they couldn’t attend a private college function, so did they forget about it? Did they agree they had no business being there, that they weren’t San Diego State college students and that they weren’t invited? Did they walk away like “good kids”, as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa claimed in the Los Angeles Times. No, they did not. They went to a nearby apartment complex and spent the hours before the murder drinking beer, cursing the fraternity, and armed with knives they boasted that they would “teach people how it's done in Sac-Town.” They then got into a vehicle, armed with weapons, drove back to San Diego State University, with the intention of showing people how it’s done in Sac-Town. In other words it was premeditated. They went back looking for the students who refused them entry.
Let’s talk about “sentences.” Let’s talk about the life sentence imposed on Luis Dos Santos’s parents after their son was brutally murdered. They did as many of us do, they raised their son with the hope that he would attend college and have a good life. Luis joined a fraternity and did what most people would have done if gang members had tried to push their way into a private party he, or other fraternity members turned them away. Isn’t that what you would hope your child would do? Should he have to pay with his life for doing the right thing?
Well I guess that depends of whether your father is the Speaker of the Assembly and worked closely with Schwartzenegger on ‘landmark” legislation and is now a political consultant in the same firm as Schwartzeneggers’ former communications director. Apparently if that’s the case, you can get away with stabbing a college student in the stomach while actively participating in a criminal street gang, and the Governor of the state of California will come to your defense no matter if it’s deserved or not. To hell with the victim and his family, right Governor?
In Stanislaus County we have over 4,200 documented gang members and according to law enforcement there are more than 7,000 total. Could we have the same mentality here? Do gang members rights trump their victims rights? Unfortunately we have people in this county in positions of power who chose to turn a blind eye to our escalating gang problem. All we have to do to answer this question is to pay attention to comments made by Board of Supervisor member-Vito Chiesa who called Modesto’s gang injunction-harassment. Yes we have a similar mentality here and if that doesn’t scare the heck out of you, you aren’t paying attention. Schwartzenegger, Fabian Nunez and Vito Chiesa are what is wrong with our country today. They live in denial and we the people continue to pay the price. It’s time to stop coddling gang members and it’s time to hold them accountable for the choices they make. It’s time to stop placing the rights of gang members above the rights of innocent victims.
A quote from Governor Scwartzenegger:
“Government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety.” -Arnold Scwartzenegger.
Here’s a chance to stand by your own words Governor, by apologizing to the Dos Santos family for drastically reducing the sentence of one of the people responsible for murdering their son.
Esteban Nunez
The Stanislaus County Insider
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