Man convicted of hit-and-run that killed Foster Farms employee in Reedley

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) – A family remembered their loved one as the man accused of hit-and-run learned his prison sentence on Wednesday.

Melecio Ayala-Hernandez has been sentenced to three years in prison for the hit-and-run that killed Jose Aguilera.

The victim was 25 and a father of two children. His family was overwhelmed with emotion in court.

“I could always count on my brother. He was always there for me. He was one of the most important people in my life. He was my best friend, not just my brother,” said Maria Najera, Aguilera’s brother.

“You took the children’s father away. You took my children’s sibling and uncle away. You destroyed us.”

Prosecutors believe Ayala-Hernandez was driving a stolen truck when he crashed into Aguilera and disappeared.

It happened last August where both men worked at Foster Farms in Reedley.

Although Aguilera died, prosecutors did not file murder charges against Ayala-Hernandez.

Instead, he pleaded guilty to possession of the stolen truck and fled the scene of the accident.

But his lawyer Taylor Pittman says Ayala-Hernandez drove off to seek help on the highway.

“This officer is stopped for a completely different reason: to help someone else on the highway. And Mr. Ayala-Hernandez stops and says, ‘I have to tell you what happened. I hit someone,'” Pittman said.

It is unclear what exactly happened since the case never went to court.

The judge called the facts, quote, “strange” and asked his own questions.

“The circumstances of the incident led me to believe that there may have been other things going on,” the judge said.

Throughout all this, Ayala-Hernandez sat quietly in the courtroom.

A translator interpreted the proceedings for him, even though the victim’s family members delivered harsh words.

“Do you know that you are more than a murderer? You are also a thief. You stole my brother’s life,” Najera told Ayala-Hernandez.

Ayala-Hernandez has already served more than half of his three-year prison sentence.

He must now serve the remainder of his sentence in a state prison.

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