Home / Crime and Justice / California Man Convicted in Deaths of 5 Children
California Man Convicted in Deaths of 5 Children
9 Jan
Summary
- Paul Perez convicted of murdering five children over a decade.
- Infant remains found weighted in a cooler using DNA identified.
- New DNA technology reopened a cold case, leading to conviction.
Paul Perez, 63, has been found guilty of murdering five of his children, with the crimes occurring between 1992 and 2001 across central and northern California. The conviction was secured through advancements in DNA technology, which allowed investigators to reopen a cold case from 2007.
A pivotal moment in the investigation was the discovery of an infant's remains, identified as Nikko Lee Perez, found weighted down in a cooler. This infant, born in 1996, was determined to be Perez's biological child through familial DNA analysis. Subsequent investigations revealed that Nikko had four siblings who also tragically died before reaching six months of age.
Perez, who is also a registered sex offender, was already serving time for unrelated offenses when charged in 2020. He faces a potential sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, with his sentencing scheduled for April 6, 2026. The Yolo County District Attorney's Office has hailed the conviction in a case described as involving "pure evil."
