Parlier Woman With Criminal History Charged in Teen's Fatal DUI Crash

Tiffany Maribel Mercado had been out of prison for roughly two months when, police say, she struck and killed 15-year-old Juliani Moreno as he crossed a Parlier street holding hands with his girlfriend. The 35-year-old Parlier woman, who carries a criminal record stretching back to 2013 and was on parole at the time of the crash, was arrested March 11 and booked into Fresno County Jail.

Mercado was sentenced to six years in prison following an April 2024 no-contest plea on charges of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and robbery with prior felonies. She was released less than two years into that sentence on January 2, according to records reviewed by news outlets covering the case.

The Fresno County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Mercado on Thursday night. Those charges include vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, reckless driving, assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, and being an unlicensed driver. She was scheduled to be arraigned at Fresno County Superior Court Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. If convicted on all counts, she could face up to 19 years in prison.

Parlier Police Chief Salvador said investigators believe Mercado was impaired at the time of the collision, though the specific substance remains unknown. "So, we believe that we have sufficient probable cause to believe that she was under the influence at the time of the collision," Salvador said. "We just don't know what she was under the influence of." Toxicology tests have been completed, and results are pending.

Surveillance video reportedly showed Mercado's car crashing into a nearby business at high speed shortly after the collision. Police say she cooperated with investigators at the scene.

Moreno's girlfriend, Mercedes Solano, was walking beside him when the crash occurred. "We were just crossing the street here. It was so quick," Solano said.

A review of court records found 26 cases filed against Mercado in San Bernardino County, including eight felonies such as assault with a deadly weapon and robbery, nine post-release community supervision violations, four misdemeanors, two traffic infractions, and three child support cases.

Action News legal analyst Tony Capozzi questioned both the charges filed and the circumstances that put Mercado back on the street. "I'm surprised more serious charges haven't been filed. To me, this looks more like a murder case," Capozzi said. He added: "I don't know where there's any justice whatsoever. There's a life that's lost by someone who was just released from prison. It just seems - the unfairness. The unfairness of life; the unfairness of the judicial system."

In Parlier, a memorial has grown near the spot where Moreno died. Yesenia Melengez was among those who stopped to add a candle, just feet from where the teenager took his last steps. "My heart is broken," she said.

Bail for Mercado has been set at $235,000. Toxicology results, once finalized, are expected to clarify what substance she may have been under at the time she killed Juliani Moreno.