The husband of a beloved special education teacher who was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver is speaking out to thank the community and to vow justice for his wife.
Jessica Ferrino, 49, was struck and killed by a speeding driver on Oct 8. as she walked along the Cove Trail in Anaheim.
“(We were) just getting our lives back together and then, this happens,” said William Ferrino, 60, from the Anaheim home he shared with his wife of more than twenty years.
Ferrino said twelve days after returning from Mexico for his mother-in-law’s funeral, his wife, Jessica, left the house for her evening jog, which Ferrino said she does every weeknight.
“When she didn’t come home, I called her and called her and called her,” he said. “I didn’t get a response so I went in the car and went over there.”
A mile from the Ferrino home was a very large crime scene. The driver of a Mercedes Benz sedan had barreled into the Anaheim Coves walking trail on Rio Vista Street and ended up in the riverbed, striking Ferrino who was on her evening jog.
“I said ‘how do you know it’s her?’” Ferrino asked police officers last Tuesday. “And they showed me her phone.”
Ferrino laid the love of his life to rest Wednesday where several hundred people showed up for her services.
“I see my wife’s smile,” he said. “She impacted a lot of people.”
Ferrino said the loving mother of two, who worked as a special education teacher, cherished two things in life: her family and her faith.
“We were so happy. We were waiting for my daughter to graduate. And then, now, it’s gone,” said Ferrino. “It’s not fair that the good people get punished and the others don’t. How do I make sense of that? It’s God’s will, but it breaks my heart!”
The driver who struck and killed Ferrino, Raymundo Rangel, 33, pled not guilty to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit and run, according to a spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
Ferrino said he vows to honor his wife’s memory by getting her justice.
“He wrecked my world. He wrecked my family,” said Ferrino of the driver. “Only God can judge him but this has to stop because innocent people are dying for a joy ride, drinking? How many more incidents before someone does something about it?”
