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TEMECULA, Calif. () — The family of a wildland firefighter killed in a deadly DUI crash faced his accused killer in court on Wednesday as prosecutors charged the driver with murder and driving under the influence.
Jonathan Ruiz appeared in a Riverside County courtroom to face a judge for the first time on Wednesday. Temecula police say he was drunk behind the wheel when he slammed into at least one other car and a pedestrian on Friday.
The pedestrian was David Heard, a father of two young children, beloved brother, son and a devoted wildland firefighter.
His family says Heard had pulled over to the side of the road to help a vehicle. That’s when investigators say Ruiz drove into them.
Heard died on the side of the road.
His family attended Ruiz’s court hearing on Wednesday, choking back tears and in agony as they faced Heard’s accused killer.
“I had to come here because I wanted to look at this man. I wanted to look at this empty man that knew better. He just knew better than to be drinking and driving, and it cost my son his life. My son was just at the back of his car just to help someone else who was having a problem, and he lost his life to this drunk driver,” said Cherrilyn Heard, the victim’s mother.
Amy Williams, Heard’s sister-in-law, said the family has seen the impact he had beyond his immediate relatives.
“After this horrible tragedy, we really saw he was bigger than himself. His heart was bigger than his own huge body,” Williams said. “We didn’t even know the amount of impact that he had on, not just us as his family, but the entire community. So we’re devastated.”
Ruiz remains jailed on a $1 million bond as his case moves through the court system.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help support Heard’s wife and their two children.
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