After more than two years of ordeals revolving around their son’s murder, the Santos family is fighting back for what they feel is justice by suing former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Fred and Kathy Santos, the parents of 22-year-old Luis Santos, who was stabbed to death at San Diego State in 2008, are taking justice into their own hands after finding out at the beginning of this month that one of the men involved in the stabbing would be serving a reduced sentence.
Last month, on his last day in office, Schwarzenegger commuted the original 16-year prison sentence for Esteban Nuñez to seven years. Nuñez is the son of former California Assembly Speaker and business partner to one of Schwarzenegger’s staff members, Fabian Nuñez.
The Santos family was informed about Nuñez’s drastically reduced sentence days after, when a reporter called their house to ask for a reaction.
“We had no idea what he was talking about, so we went online and started looking for news regarding Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Fred Santos said.
Shortly after that, the Santos’ received a letter from Schwarzenegger apologizing for not informing them before commuting Nuñez’s sentence.
However, the Santos family was not comforted by the letter. Fred Santos felt it was most likely written by a staff member and used because “he (Schwarzenegger) had no choice but to do something to shut me up.”
Now the Santos family is suing Schwarzenegger, on the basis of Marsy’s Law.
Marsy’s Law was passed by voters in 2008 and is called the “victim’s bill of rights.” It states many of the rights families have during criminal proceedings, including “the right to be heard during critical stages of the criminal justice system.
The Santos’ are suing in hopes that Nuñez’s original 16-year sentence will be reinstated. The office of Brad Patton, the lawyer representing Nuñez, said the Santos family has no basis for their lawsuit.
The case against Schwarzenegger is being handled by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who could not be reached for comment.
Now the Santos family must sit back and wait. They filed the lawsuit last Thursday and are not quite sure what to expect.
“I’ve never sued a governor before,” Fred Santos said.
Not only do the Santos’ want Nuñez’s original sentence reinstated, but they also want to ensure that Schwarzenegger and Fabian Nuñez see the end of their careers. Regardless of what happens, it won’t ease the pain of their loss.
“My son was killed brutally, there will never be peace of mind,” Fred Santos said.
The family’s hope is to finish the proceedings with the lawsuit and put the last couple of years behind them. Doing so will allow the Santos family to stop fighting and remember their son,.
“Maybe we can remember him, the way he lived his life and … maybe then I can take some time and get to mourn him; I never got that before,” Fred Santos said.
