Co-workers remembering Fresno woman murdered at power plant in Fresno County

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The victim, Outi Hicks, was 32-years-old and she had been an apprentice in the Carpenters Union for about 9 months, and was well regarded.

Scott Lewis is the District Coordinator for the union's apprenticeship program. He had nothing but praise for her dedication to the job and her family.

"She's got the passion to succeed she made us all believe in her," Lewis said. "Very positive, very positive individual to change her life around and she was looking for the carpenters for a career for the rest of her life to take care of her boys."

Hicks was working at the Rio Bravo CO Generation Plant in Malaga, removing scaffolding when something happened between her and co-worker Aaron Lopez.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Department still is not sure why Lopez apparently attacked her.

"We didn't gain very much from our interview with the suspect before he got booked in the jail, so we are reaching out to anybody who had contact with both of these people to try and get a better understanding of what transpired out there," said Tony Botti of the Fresno County Sheriff's Department.

Other workers at the plant intervened, separating the two and administering CPR to try and save the woman's life.

Lopez is being held in the Fresno County jail on murder charges.

The victim was well regarded as a worker, trying to turn her life around after serving time in prison.