Two men deny involvement in Fresno murder. Police testify video footage shows otherwise
Testimony continued Wednesday in the case of two Fresno men suspected of a deadly southwest Fresno shooting, as prosecutors revealed surveillance footage allegedly connecting them with the crime.
Christopher Williams, 22, and Kevin Coleman, 23, of Fresno are suspected of gunning down Kylin Baca-Fulmer as he sat in his Porsche SUV on July 31 last year
They denied having anything to do with his death, and are charged with murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Wednesday was the second day of the preliminary hearing in the case, where prosecutors presented evidence to a judge to determine whether the defendants will proceed to trial.
Baca-Fulmer, a father of two children, was shot to death at South Bardell and East Calwa avenues. Police found evidence of 13 gun shots from a .40 handgun.
Deputy District Attorney Ismail Aliyev entered several clips of video surveillance footage into evidence showing a white Nissan Kicks at the scene of the shooting. The same car is shown on video at a Valero gas station while the victim was there.
Homicide Detective Loren Kasten testified Wednesday the car used in the shooting belongs to Coleman’s mother. When Kasten showed the mother a video clip of the Nissan speeding away from the shooting scene, the mother said it was similar to her vehicle.
A camera at a fast food restaurant also captured images of the white Nissan shortly after the shooting. The detective showed Coleman’s mother a still photo of the Nissan and asked whether she recognized anyone in the car.
“That’s Kevin,” she said, according to Kasten’s testimony,
Williams and Coleman denied knowing anything about Baca-Fulmer, Kasten testified. The detective told them in separate interviews they became the prime suspects after a tip was given to Valley Crime Stoppers.
Kasten testified that during an interview on Aug. 21, 2021, Williams told him he was in Oakland at the time of the shooting and that he didn’t know Baca-Fulmer.
Williams’s phone records and video surveillance showed otherwise, Kasten testified. Later during questioning Williams admitted to knowing Baca-Fulmer. He referred to him as a “top dog” in the Dog Pound gang, according to Kasten’s testimony.
When asked if he was involved with the Klette Mob street gang or had anything to do with Baca-Fulmer’s death, Williams told the detective he did not.
Coleman was interviewed by Kasten in the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona where he allegedly fled after the shooting. Coleman told the detective he was there visiting relatives and didn’t know anything about the shooting.
He told the detective he had been drinking heavily the day before the shooting and was too hung over to leave his home the next day. Kasten showed Coleman video surveillance footage of him at a Fresno cemetery the day of the shooting, contradicting that he had never left home.
The detective testified that Coleman then changed his story and said he believed Baca-Fulmer was an alleged member of the Dog Pound gang. He also denied having any connection to the Klette Mob gang.
The preliminary hearing continues on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Dept. 52.
