[Epoch Times, November 22, 2025] (Epoch Times reporter Li Mei, Orange County) On Thursday (November 20), the office of Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement saying that a 13-year-old boy was hit and killed while walking to school in Dana Point, Orange County. His older brother, who was with him, was unharmed.

The driver, Fink, a 59-year-old resident of Cape Dana, has been charged with one count of felony murder and one count of felony hit-and-run causing permanent grievous bodily harm.

Around 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Luis Adrian Morales-Pacheco, a boy from San Juan Capistrano, was walking with his older brother to Niguel Hills Middle School.

The driver, Bradley Gene Funk, hit a 13-year-old boy with a pickup truck near Dana Point Harbor Drive and Lantern Street. The boy later died in hospital.

Fink did not stop after hitting Morales Pacheco, but continued driving. His pickup truck suffered a tire blowout a few blocks from the accident site and became immobilized, after which he was arrested by police.

In 2021, Fink received two Watson advices and admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol.

California's "Watson warning" is a formal warning issued to individuals convicted of drunk driving. This warning stems from the California Supreme Court case of People v. Watson (1981), which established that a driver can be held liable for murder even if the injury was not intentionally caused.

Under California law, causing a fatal accident while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs can result in a second-degree murder charge.

When Spitzer served as a state assemblyman from 2002 to 2008, he introduced the Steve Ambriz Act, which required applicants for a California driver's license to sign a statement acknowledging that they could be charged with murder if they caused death while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“The loss of our child left a huge void in the hearts of everyone in our community. Louis shouldn’t have died,” Spitzer said. “The driver who hit him had been repeatedly told that drunk driving is dangerous, but he did it anyway. His selfishness has forced Louis’s family to endure the pain of losing their beloved son.”

Editor: Jialian