Visalia teen sentenced to 16 years to life in prison for hit and run death

A Tulare County woman was sentenced Thursday to 16 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and felony hit and run in the death of 35-year-old Eric Fisher near his Visalia home.

Chaylin Funez, 18, was found guilty by a jury one month ago.

In May, Funez was accused of killing Fisher by hitting him with her car and dragging him for nearly a block on West Prospect Avenue in Visalia. Witnesses, including Fisher’s wife, Alice, saw the car hit her husband and then continue driving.

Police said Fisher was attempting to defuse an argument between a passerby and a man in the car Funez was driving. After the man got back into the car, Funez made a U-turn and headed back toward the area where Fisher was standing.

She made a slow left turn onto Prospect, then accelerated and struck Fisher with the car, police said.

After the car hit Fisher, it plowed through a chain link fence into a front yard, Funez then backed up into the street and drove west on Prospect.

Fisher’s body was caught under the car and dragged for a block before being dislodged, police said.

Witnesses told police it looked as though Funez intentionally ran over Fisher, who was taken to a hospital and later died.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Visalia teen sentenced to 16 years to life in prison for hit and run death."