What a disgrace!

“I have had the opportunity to watch him grow and develop into a decent and responsible young man,” wrote Mayor Villaraigosa, who said he has known the younger Núñez 10 years. “In my heart, I know Esteban Núñez as a young man of good and upright character.”

Garcia a ‘good, caring young man’

Garcia’s attorney, Paul Pfingst, argued in his plea for bail reduction that no eyewitnesses or co-defendants put Garcia at the scene of the stabbing. Additionally, Pfingst wrote, Jett’s girlfriend told police she recalled Jett saying Garcia ran from the fight.

The letters submitted on his behalf describe a hard-working teen who visits his grandmother several times a week. His arrest has shocked his large Catholic family.

“We are not only devastated and anguished by this incident, but know in our hearts and without a doubt that Rafael is incapable of committing these acts,” wrote Rebeca Hidalgo, Garcia’s aunt.

Garcia attended parochial schools and was a third-generation graduate of Christian Brothers. He is enrolled in college – the letters don’t specify where – and working at Caltrans, where his mother, Olga, is employed. She is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, wrote Pfingst, a former San Diego County district attorney.

Garcia’s father, Daniel Garcia Sr., is an administrative law judge at the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

The Garcia family has deep roots in the Sacramento area and the local Catholic community, family and friends wrote. Rafael was raised in the spirit of service, with strong morals, they said.

“We can attest to the true core of this young man,” wrote his aunt, Norma Hidalgo-Minas, and his uncle, Phillip Harold Minas. “Rafael is a good, caring young man who has donated time and money to feed the hungry, participated in cancer awareness walks and other community service.”

Derek Norris, Garcia’s coach on a Land Park soccer team for three years, said Garcia set an example for players, keeping a level head even when teams clashed physically.

“I hope some day to have a son of my own with the same compassionate heart, strong work ethic and genuine loving spirit as Rafael Garcia,” he wrote.

Thomas’ former coach a fan

Thomas knew Núñez from CSU Los Angeles, according to attorney John Patrick Murphy, but had not met Garcia or Jett before the trip to San Diego.

Growing up in Elk Grove, Thomas attended Harriet Eddy Middle School and Sheldon High for a year before transferring to Laguna Creek High. He earned his diploma in 2007.

Jim Stephens’ first memories of the teen are of a gifted but lazy athlete. Stephens was the basketball coach at Laguna Creek High at the time, and recalls discouraging Thomas – known by friends as “LT” – from coming out for the varsity team because of his weak work ethic.

A week into tryouts, Thomas asked Stephens for another chance. The coach let him practice with the team, but told Thomas he would have to wait for a spot to open up before he could get a uniform.

“He was also told that he would have to work his way up from the bottom, something someone of his athletic ability had probably never done before,” Stephens wrote to the court. “From that point forward, I NEVER regretted giving LT that chance.”

He said Thomas became one of his favorite players and among the most committed he’s coached.

In an interview, Stephens – now girls basketball coach at Vista del Lago High in Folsom – said he was stunned by news of the charges.

“I have so many visual pictures of LT and they all involve his gentleness,” Stephens said. He remembers one tournament when Thomas sat with his younger brothers between games, feeding them grapes.

Other letters depict Thomas as a protective older brother, sometimes left to care for his siblings while his father, an Air Force veteran, worked at PG&E.

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Call The Bee’s Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Bee researcher Sheila A. Kern contributed to this report.