The son of a once-prominent California lawmaker who was convicted in the stabbing death of a Bay Area man, has been released from prison after serving less than 6 years of a 16-year sentence thanks to his sentence being reduced by then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Esteban Nuñez, 27, was released on Sunday morning and will live in Sacramento where he will be on parole for three years, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Luis Patino.
Nuñez pleaded guilty to the stabbing death of college student Luis Santos in San Diego On Oct. 4, 2008. Court records indicate that Nunez and three other men were angry because they weren't granted entry into a party, prompting them to attack and later stab Santos in the chest.
In June 2010, Nuñez entered prison to begin his 16-year sentence. However, Schwarzenegger, who was friends with Nunez's father, Fabian Nunez, intervened on his last day in office in 2011 and reduced Esteban's sentence to seven years. The move prompted the Santos family to sue in a failed attempt to overturn the ruling.
"I feel disgusted," said Santos' mother, Kathy. "Makes me sort of sick that two guys in political power can pull strings to get one of their own murdering children off the hook. I just don't understand that."
The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento last year upheld Schwarzenegger's power to reduce the sentence, despite feeling that his ruling could be viewed as unjust.
"Back-room dealings were apparent," the court wrote of Schwarzenegger's decision.
Adding insult to injury, Nuñez was released for good behavior after serving less than six years. Which means he served less than half of what he was initially supposed to serve before Schwarzenegger's intervention.
"While Esteban is probably out celebrating with his family tonight, this is where we come to be with our family," Kathey added, who brings flowers and balloons and sometimes blows bubbles at her son's grave.
As for the Nuñez family, they said in a statement that even as they celebrate Esteban's release, they still grieve over the losses due to their son's involvement in the incident.
We continue to grieve over the losses related to our son's involvement in this tragic incident and pray daily for God's healing grace," they said. "Our son has paid his debt to society .... He is committed to continuing the work of healing, self-reflection, and spiritual growth."
The state Supreme Court has not yet said if it will consider an appeal of that ruling.
