Fatal shooting on Fresno County raisin ranch at center of wrongful death civil trial
A deadly dispute between two brothers over 40 acres of raisin grapes is at the center of a wrongful death civil lawsuit playing out in a Fresno County courtroom Wednesday.
Norman Vulich, 61, is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his 68-year-old brother, Jerry Vulich, on Oct. 23, 2020.
Sheriff’s deputies said the elder Vulich was killed by two blasts from a shotgun as the two brothers argued on the family’s vineyard in southwest Fresno County.
Norman Vulich, according to his defense attorney Daniel Harralson, was distraught over his big brother’s decision to bulldoze the aging raisin grape vineyard to make way for almonds, a more profitable crop.
The younger Vulich was worried about what would happen to the “significant number of cats” who lived on the ranch.
“If they pulled the vines out, the cats would have no place to hide,” Harralson said during his opening statement Wednesday.
A worker, hired by Jerry Vulich to help remove the vines that morning, was nearby when heard several loud gunshots.
Unaware of what was happening and in fear of his life, the worker ran and then returned a short time later only to find Jerry Vulich laying face down between the barn and a compost bin.
His body was covered with a piece of rusted tin roofing, an inner tube and some dirt, deputies said.
The worker called Jerry’s wife, Sharon Vulich to tell her what happened.
Widow of slain man testifies
Sharon Vulich testified Wednesday that she still has vivid memories of that phone call. She was taking care of her grandson and rushed to find someone to watch him as she raced to the scene.
“I drove so fast, horribly fast and prayed out loud for Jerry to still be alive,” she said.
She didn’t make it to the ranch as sheriff’s deputies and paramedics blocked off the area.
“I walked up to one of the sheriff’s deputies and told him that was husband,” she said, dabbing her crying eyes with a tissue. “I asked him if he was OK, and he said, ‘No, I’m sorry. He is dead.’”
The Vulich family is suing Norman Vulich for wrongful death and seeking financial damages. Sharon Vulich testified that her husband took care of the family’s finances and was always supportive of her, their two daughters and grandchildren.
The property where the shooting took place was sold and she currently leases 20 acres of almonds that she owns. It’s being farmed by a friend of her husband and she receives a small percentage of the profits.
As civil trial starts, criminal trial still pending
Asked by her attorney Lyndsie N. Russell how her life has changed, Sharon Vulich said her life will never be the same.
Sharon Vulich and her late husband were married 49 years. They met when she was 15 and he was 18. He worked as an electrician for many years and also farmed raisins and almonds.
Breaking down several times during her testimony, Sharon Vulich said she can’t bring herself to put her husband’s things away. She hasn’t cleaned out his closet or even washed the clothes he wore the day before he died.
They are still sitting in the bottom of the laundry basket.
“I won’t take them out,” she said. “I left everything the way it was.”
The civil trial continues Thursday in Dept. 501.
Norman Vulich’s criminal trial is pending. He is scheduled to appear in court for a pre-preliminary hearing on March 21 in Dept. 30. He remains in the Fresno County Jail with bail set at $1.5 million.
This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 12:50 PM.
