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Politics

Former SD City Attorney Says Justice System Failed Murdered College Student

Former San Diego City Attorney Casey Gwinn says there should be no doubt that the justice system failed Diana Gonzalez, the San Diego City College student found murdered in a campus bathroom last week.

Gwinn, now head of the Family Justice Alliance Center, says Gonzalez’s murder was entirely preventable.

Gwinn said Gonzalez did everything she was supposed to do before her badly mutilated body was found in a San Diego City College bathroom last week. She filed a police report right after her estranged husband allegedly kidnapped, raped and strangled her last month.

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The DA’s office declined to press charges and her husband was released. Gwinn says he hasn’t seen all of the evidence but…

“She had petechiae all over her face," said Gwinn. "Those are the little bursting capillaries that happen from someone who had been strangled, so it certainly appears to be a situation where he should have never been released from jail.”

A warrant has been issued for Gonzalez’s husband. Police believe he is in Mexico.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.