Child molester granted parole, will come to Fresno after expressing continued fantasies toward kids
The public is getting a new look at how close a serial child molester was to the streets of Fresno.
David Funston used candy and toys to lure children in Sacramento County in the 1990s. His youngest victim was three years old.
“This was the worst case of a serial child predator that I have ever seen in my history,” Anne Marie Schubert, former Sacramento County prosecutor, told Action News.
She sued in 1999, winning a conviction and three life sentences.
“A prosecutor believed that when you had life, it meant life,” Schubert said. “We made promises to these families, to these children. ‘Don’t ever worry, he’ll never make it.'”
But under new laws, Funston, 64, was paroled in February. He is considered a “senior citizen” under a state program that allows the possibility of parole to any inmate who is 50 or older and has served at least 20 consecutive years.
The decision to release the convicted child molester from prison came even after stunning comments.
Documents obtained by Action News reveal that Funston told the parole board last September that he still had sexual fantasies.
He describes a thought from four years ago involving his daughter’s 8-year-old playmate.
“This parole board felt he was still safe to be released, which is really shocking,” Schubert said.
When asked where he wanted to go, Funston said the Centers for Living in Fresno.
Funston was ready to be released and would likely be in Fresno. However, on the day of his release in February, Placer County authorities arrested him on previous charges, reopening a case they had abandoned 30 years ago after three life sentences.
“They were dropped ‘in the interests of justice’ because it was thought David Funston would never get out,” Schubert said. “And now those interests of justice have been overturned.”
His imprisonment now depends on the new case and the possible future trial.
Schubert now remembers what the judge said about Funston in his case.
“He basically described it as every parent’s worst nightmare, and that no amount of time would ever be enough for the crimes he committed,” Schubert said.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not respond to Action News’ request for comment.
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