Preliminary hearings begin in Pier 14 murder case

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Preliminary hearings began Tuesday in the Pier 14 shooting death of Kate Steinle, a murder that's become a national story because her accused killer is an undocumented immigrant.

The judge allowed cameras to shoot Francisco Lopez Sanchez in court from the back but, just like his July court appearances, he looked wan and thinner than he was when he was arraigned on murder charges.

Three San Francisco police sergeants testified, one saying he interviewed Steinle's father, Jim, the night after his daughter was murdered.

Sgt. Domenico Discenza said Jim Steinle "said he heard a pop and his daughter went down, yelling Dad help me, help me. I thought her phone blew up in her hand."

But Jim Steinle did not see who fired the shot.

A tourist thought she saw the killer. Maria Loreno was staying at the Griffon Hotel on the Embarcadero and her room looked out at Pier 14.

She heard a gunshot and saw a man dressed in black walking away from the Pier. She thought it was suspicious because everyone else was rushing toward the shooting.

Loreno took a photo of him, which the prosecutor showed in court.

She later identified Sanchez when police arrested him at Embarcadero and Townsend later that evening.

The most important witness may have been the person who, in the words of another investigator, "said she heard a loud bang and turned around. She saw an object land off the pier into the water with a big plunk."

This witness led police to that area and the next day, police divers found the gun in those waters.

A third police sergeant testified that he interviewed Sanchez at homicide that evening. He told Sanchez five witnesses saw him and they had the gun and gunshot residue, but admitted on the stand, "I lied to him. It was a bluff."

It worked because Sanchez confessed.

On Wednesday, there will be more testimony and cross-examination from Sanchez's lawyers.

Click here for full coverage on the Pier 14 shooting.

Steinle's family and coworkers have set up online fundraising pages to raise money for charities that were important to her. Click here for details on her family's page and click here for information on her coworkers' page.