Visalia teen faces murder charges after deadly hit and run

Wednesday, May 31, 2017
VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two days after her arrest, 18-year-old Chaylin Funez made her first court appearance Wednesday. She is being held without bail, charged with murder and a special allegation of using a deadly weapon-- a car.

On Saturday evening, police and prosecutors said she ran over Eric Fisher, backed up over him, and dragged him down the street.

Moments earlier, Fisher had been trying to break up a fight between Funez's boyfriend and another man who was walking his dog.

Fisher later died at the hospital. Wednesday, his wife spent part of the day making arrangements at the funeral home.

Alice Aleman-Fisher was with her husband for 17 years, they had two children together. One of them, eight-year-old Jazlyn, witnessed the horrific hit and run.

Alice also saw what happened, as well as the woman behind the wheel.

"Our eyes met, she saw my face, I saw her face, it's a face I'm never going to forget because I'm pleading my husband's under the tires, stop, and then she decides to take off."

Police said tips from the public helped them track down the suspect's vehicle, and then, Funez and her boyfriend early Monday morning. Police released him, believing he was only a witness to the crime.

On Tuesday, police said Funez hadn't provided them with much of a statement.

"What kind of a person does that? That's a person with no morals, that's a person with no values, no care in the world for a life, probably not even her own," said Alice.

Alice said her late-husband was a simple man, who loved fishing, football and working outside. But more importantly, he was a loving man, and life, she said, won't be the same without him.

Funez will be back in court on June 12th-- she faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
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