Esteban Nunez released from jail after posting $1 million bail

Esteban Nunez, the 19-year-old son of former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, has been released from jail after posting $1-million bail, jail officials said Tuesday. He's been charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

At a hearing Tuesday, Superior Court Judge David Szumowski reduced bail from $2 million to $1 million for Nunez and three co-defendants. Rafael Garcia, 19, the son of an administrative law judge in Sacramento, also posted bail and was released, officials said. Ryan Kelly Jett, 22, and Leshanor Thomas, 19, remain in jail.

The judge said Nunez and the others could leave San Diego but only if they went to Sacramento to stay with their families. The four are charged in the Oct. 4 stabbing death of 22-year-old college student Luis Santos during a brawl on the street adjacent to San Diego State University. Nunez's attorney, Brad Patton, said his client will plead self-defense. Former Dist. Atty. Paul Pfingst, representing Garcia, said there is no evidence that his client was at the brawl.

"When a fight broke out, he ran away," Pfingst said.

The bail-review hearing contained conflicting images gleaned from the MySpace pages of the defendants and at least one of the five men that the defendants allegedly attacked after a night of heavy drinking.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jill DiCarlo said a MySpace page has pictures of Nunez slicing a frog and preparing to stab a kitten and a sign "Beat Your Pet." But Patton said that a MySpace page for one of the alleged victims shows him flashing gang signs and acting tough. MySpace has taken down all the pages of the defendants and victims "but not before the subpoenas" were issued, DiCarlo said.

Prosecutors allege that Nunez and the co-defendants attacked Santos and his four friends because they were enraged at being unable to crash a fraternity party.

--Tony Perry

Comments

[PANCHO JOSELUIS Gonzalez 4rm Los Angeles]

thats wrong!!!! esteban, u should go to jail! if u did it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Seisdedos]

AAHHH POOR BABY..... rescued by his afluent father and all of their money.
If it had been any other "Joe" he would be sitting in the jail facing the consequences, but low and behold his "criminal" has a Daddy with influence. To bad Johnnie Cochran is no longer around or the "Dream Team" would have a field day with this case......police corruption, set up because he is Latino, etc....
We should keep an eye on this case! and remember the Hiadl case in Orange County who got away with rape

[tomterrific]

They were looking for a revenge killing when they went back to the party.....he's GUILTY and his dad is a FRAUD.

[budswisr]

Great, Having a dad in high places should always come with a get out of jail free card. Bet his dad ships him off to Mexico.

[priscilla petersen]

esteban i dont feel you have done this terrible act.. i pray for you and hope the best for you.. I love you

[AntL]

It is an outrage, that the four murder suspects in the Luis Santos murder are out on bail. It is wrong, and is a very weak decision by Judge Szumowski.

Do not forget who was murdered. We must have justice for Luis Santos, murdered in cold blood. Justice for the his family and justice to all of the victims of the attack.

Nunez, Garcia, Jett and Thomas could have walked away that night, but did not. Shame on Judge David Szumowski.

AntL

[Disbelief]

I sense the outrage is because a Latino is finally getting the special treatment that we are used to seeing as a matter of course amongst Whites. Are we to hold Latinos to a higher standard because the place of privilege is a new place for them that we don't quite thing they belong in? Yes, it is horrible and tragic that a young man was killed and I pray for him and his family. I also expect that his killer or killers are brought to justice. BUT, here, the charges have not been dropped and the trial is still going to happen. Esteban and his co-defendants have not been found guilty. Esteban is merely on bail, with restricted terms, until the verdict in this case occurs. Just in case he is innocent, I am glad that Esteban gets to go home on bail. If he is found guilty, then let's expect that he like all others gets an appropriate sentence for this terrible crime.

[JustaMom]

Race is not the issue! This is about Latinos killing another Latino. This a tragedy for both families, the consequences of drinking out of control. Justice should prevail regardless of race, status and political influences!
Unfortunately, the Latinos politicians are feeding the media, with bad press,corruption, poor family values and shame...

[SDSU Student]

As a student of San Diego State university, I have friends who knew Luis personally. And from what I've heard, he was a really nice guy. I've partied by the frats next to petterson gym quite a bit and know that spot nunez and his friends were at. A lot of gang members walk around there trying to get into frat parties but are never allowed, so they get Really pissed. Theres been fights and shootings from these gangsters for years.

I know for a fact nunez killed Santos in cold blood and it will be interesting to see how the justice system really works.

[SD]

Santos is actually Poruguese, Chinese and Caucasian. His Dad is half Chinese and Portuguese. His mother is white, so it's not a Latino on Latino crime necessarily. Santos has a really large supportive family. You can see pictures of he and his family on his dedication page inmemoryofluissantos.com.

I hope all four of those boys go to jail for a really long time for what they have done. They murdered a nice boy who still had a bright future ahead.

[Ramirez]

I like how Jett and Thomas are rotting in jail while the two rich boys Garcia and Nunez got out on their 1 million dollar bail. Of course they only had to pay a fraction of that amount, still they are out and the poor ones are probably getting the worst from their male cell mates, if you know what I mean. I hope they sell their privileged friends out.