Jim Oppliger
Whether in the courtroom, on the ski slopes or chasing a gnarly wave, Jim Oppliger was a true competitor. Oppliger, who served as public defender, prosecutor and Fresno County Superior Court judge, died Saturday. He was 79.
Friends and family say Oppliger embodied the phrase, work hard, play hard. He said it was the balance he needed to live a happy life.
That philosophy would serve him well during his time with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office where he was a prosecutor from 1978 until he was elected judge in 2003.
He retired from the bench in 2010.
As head of the homicide division, Oppliger took the lead in prosecuting one of Fresno’s most heinous crimes at the time: the murders of the Ewell family, Dale, Glee, and Tiffany Ewell.
The Ewells were shot to death in their Fresno home in a plot orchestrated by Dale and Glee’s son, Dana Ewell, and carried out by a former college roommate.
Although the case took nine months to prosecute, Oppliger secured a conviction and Ewell was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Oppliger’s son Trevor, who is also a prosecutor for the Fresno County District Attorney’s office, interned at the DA’s office and worked with his father on the case.
He was left in awe of his father’s dedication and skill in prosecuting the case.
“He gave everything for that trial, working nights, weekends,” he said. “The thought of having a personal life didn’t happen. It was really hard on him.”
Nicole Idiart, Jim Oppliger’s step-daughter, said she never stopped learning from him, or asking him questions. She remembers the long conversations they would have talking about his cases and the law. She said he was one of her biggest supporters and the reason she became a prosecutor with the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.
“One of the last things he said to me was that he was so proud I followed in his footsteps prosecuting major crimes and homicides,” she said. “He even came to watch me in trial and he teared up and just kept telling me how proud of me he was. That meant more to me than anything, especially coming from such an incredible trial attorney.”
Ironically, Oppliger wasn’t thinking about becoming a lawyer while attending the University of California, Los Angeles. His son, Trevor, said he was perfectly fine being a lifeguard on the Santa Monica State Beach.
“He was making great money, and he could go surfing whenever he wanted,” he said. “So for him that was the lifestyle.”
It was Oppliger’s first wife who encouraged him to find a more stable job, such as law.
After finishing law school, Jim Oppliger and his family moved to Fresno where a family friend and lawyer, Bob Carter, of Wild Carter and Tipton, helped him get his start.
“My dad was never planning on staying in Fresno, his plan was to return to Los Angeles and provide legal help for all of his beach buddies and surfer friends who were always getting in trouble.”
But Oppliger chose to stay and got a job with the public defender’s office where he served from 1976 to 1978. He then transferred to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office where he stayed until he became a Superior Court Judge in 2003.
Oppliger’s wife, Laurie McAnulty, said he will be missed by many. He moved in so many social circles from the surfers, the snow skiers, lawyers, and beach volleyball players. He excelled at all of those things, she said.
They met in 2001 while skiing at China Peak. They got on the lift together and when he hopped off, she was impressed.
“I though, wow, that guy is a great skier,” she said. “He was a great athlete and always had a competitive nature. It’s what made him so tenacious in court.”
Although Alzheimer’s disease slowed him down in recent years, he was able to go on one last ski run last year. He was weak and he went uncharacteristically slow, but he enjoyed himself.
“We had a great life,” she said.
The Fresno Bee
A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.