Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter of apology to the father of Luis Dos Santos after he commuted the prison sentence of the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez.

Santos was killed outside a party in San Diego in 2008, and Nuñez's son, Esteban Nuñez, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the slaying -- the same sentence given to Santos' killer.

Just hours before Schwarzenegger was set to leave office Jan. 2, he reduced Esteban' Nuñez's sentence by more than half.

"It is with heavy heart that I write to you in acknowledgment that my commutation of Esteban Nuñez has caused you more pain," Schwarzenegger wrote in a letter dated Jan. 5 and posted on the KNX-AM (1070) website. "I recognize that the last-minute nature of my final acts as Governor provided you no notice, no time to prepare for or absorb the impact of this decision. For that I apologize."

Fred Santos told KNX he is considering taking legal action over the commuted sentence. He said he and his family were not warned about the impending commutation.

“Basically, we think that our constitutional rights as victims have been violated because we were not notified,” Santos told the station Wednesday.