Award of warning this podcast explores graphic and disturbing stories and includes some strong language it therefore may not be suitable for our young listeners or other folks who may find it disturbing.

Hello and welcome to true crime daily the podcast covering high profile and under the radar cases from across the country every week on your host and a Garcia we are recording this on June 9th of 2021.

On our guest today is a regular contributor to this program Lewis Bologna who's a former homicide detective also worked the drug cartels for the DEA has a long long history of law enforcement and now has his own private investigation firm but as we've said a good friend of the show a personal friend of mine Lewis welcome back.

Diana so good to see you it's the only way I get to see you is via zoom hopefully we've got that soon I know that's true we we talk many times a week. Always being updated updated on cases and we're so thrilled that you're here today because you brought us a very personal case yourself and I know you've got a little sign behind you that says go Charlie go. Yes ma'am I do yeah. So these are the cases that we're talking about and then we're going to talk about.

The really personal case that Lewis has brought us so this week we've got a California man who has received 15 years to life in prison for killing his wife this is the amazing thing after he killed her he propped her up on the sofa because it was Christmas and then forced the children to open the presents in front of their deceased mother unbelievable story out of California.

But first we're going to discuss the case of 13 year old Charlie Funez whose photo of her beaten face went viral when another girl attacked her during gym class you've all seen the photo we're going to put it up for you.

Charlie and her mother Kimberly are going to join us on this program in just a few minutes but Lewis and I are first going to go over the details of this case in the background and and how you how you got involved let's remind everyone what the case is because once you see the picture you'll say oh yeah I saw that I saw that on my Facebook I saw that on the news.

This is a case out of Gardner Illinois and on May 17th Charlie was in PE class when she says that she was attacked from behind and she was pushed she will describe it to us and as she's falling forward she said she wasn't able to brace herself so her face hit the concrete knocked out to her teeth and you can see all the bruises and the scratches on her face and her body was bruised.

It's very troubling she says that this girl had been bullying her for some time this is a very important issue we talk about it a lot sometimes it leads to very tragic endings so Lewis how do you get involved with this case yeah yeah I got to tell you that picture you just described and showed is really what caught my attention first and of course I saw the word bullying on top of the social media.

Hit on it they got my attention and so I read it and as I'm reading I kept looking at the picture and it just pulled and my heartstrings I thought here we go again because I've been seeing this happening more and more and more and things like this being posted on social media and when I read about not just the injuries but what Charlie's mom and dad had claimed that was not happening.

So I think it's a very important issue with the school administrators and the justice system these are things we've all seen before either together separately but it it rang true to me on so many levels and I I just it reminds me of a case or locally here in Reno Valley of another young 30 year old boy and I want to get his name right here Diego but he was 13 years old and went to school in Reno Valley Riverside County California and he had gone to school in Minnesota.

School administrators just a few days prior to his attack to complain about a group of kids that were bullying him and physically assaulting him they didn't do anything three days later those same kids cold cocked him with a punch he went down his head hit a pillar and he died shortly after that.

And now those kids that got through the punch are all involved in some kind of criminal case investigation lawsuit and you just see how this has a potential for having life effects for air been involved.

Thank God this is not what's going to happen the Charlie her stories a little different but it easily could have so a lot of things went through my head and one of the first things I really wanted to do is to reach out to Charlie through her mom and dad.

I let them know that there are people out there that understand and can help not just at get bit investigations but you know very well I do a lot of work as an ambassador for pave with the incredible Miss Angela rose pay was an acronym for promoting awareness of victim empowerment and bullying is a big part of the assaults that we deal with in the victims through pave.

So it's very rare to have a young person young lady like Charlie have the courage to speak out and make the decision to speak out.

And so we reached out and it may be put some thought into it and that's why I started the go Charlie go campaign and it has just snowballed and in so many positive ways.

Charlie I'll let her tell yourself about a couple of cool things that have happened to her but I think she feels confident that's our goal to make Charlie feel confident is not alone.

And then we will be monitoring her trip through this journey and make sure that this case is addressed correctly whatever the correct manner is you asked me yesterday.

And do I think that the person that pushed Charlie should be criminally prosecuted or is it just an administrative thing to the school and that is something I think about every case I think every investigator who handles this type of case when you know it's kid versus kid at school but it's not quite so I don't believe that the the child the child that pushed Charlie.

She should be given a get out of jail free card or be punished severely in the justice system and this is something that I discussed with Charlie and her parents and that's what caught me in my first conversation with them is they're not out to destroy that girl's life they're out to make the environment safer for every child at school and to make sure they these kids when they make.

Contact somebody are heard and respected that I'm scared I got something brewing here please give it the attention it deserves.

...