SAN DIEGO — Esteban Nunez, the 19-year-old son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, and three co-defendants pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and assault charges stemming from an alleged knife attack during a night of heavy drinking in San Diego.
"Basically, Your Honor, they wanted to be gang members," Deputy Dist. Atty. Jill DiCarlo told Superior Court Judge David Szumowski.
But two of the defense attorneys objected to DiCarlo's description of their clients as wannabe gangsters.
"There are no gang issues," Nunez's attorney, Brad Patton, told the judge. "My client is not a gang member."
Nunez's father, mother, sister and a dozen relatives and friends attended the brief hearing. The family stood silently behind Patton during a news conference afterward.
Nunez, Ryan Jett, 22, Rafael Garcia, 19, and Leshanor Thomas, 19, were each charged with one count of murder and three of assault with a deadly weapon. All are being held in San Diego Jail after being arrested Tuesday at their homes in Sacramento County.
Prosecutors allege that the four were enraged at being unable to crash a fraternity party and went looking for a group to attack. "The defendants were looking for trouble and bragged they were all carrying knives," DiCarlo said.
Luis Dos Santos, 22, died of a stab wound to the heart. Two other victims suffered stab wounds, and a third had a fractured eye socket.
But defense attorneys, in court and afterward, disputed the prosecution's version of the events of Oct. 4. Patton said the defendants were acting in self-defense and that at least one of the five people whom they fought had a weapon.
Jett was stabbed during the street fight, defense attorneys said, suggesting a brawl where both sides were armed.
Jett is the only defendant with a criminal record. He was sentenced Oct. 27 to 120 days in custody after pleading no contest to a felony weapons charge involving possession of ammunition. Last year, he was sentenced to short jail terms after pleading no contest in two cases involving charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Szumowski set bail at $2 million each. A bail review hearing is set for next week.
Garcia, whose father is an administrative law judge, is represented by former San Diego Dist. Atty. Paul Pfingst, who joined Patton in denouncing what they called exaggerations by the police and prosecutors.
