A father described as “pure evil” has been convicted of murdering his five infant children over a span of nine years. Paul Allen Perez, aged 63, was found guilty by a Yolo County jury in northern California of multiple murder charges. Additionally, he was convicted of assaulting a child under eight years old in a manner likely to cause serious injury leading to death, as stated by the District Attorney’s Office.
The crimes involved the deaths of five babies, all under six months old, who were killed at various locations across Central and Northern California between 1992 and 2001. The case came to light in 2007 when investigators discovered the remains of a baby concealed in a canal inside a cooler in the Conway Slough, east of Woodland. DNA evidence linked the baby boy, identified as Nikko Lee Perez, born in 1996, to Paul Allen Perez.
Further investigations revealed that Nikko was one of five siblings who perished at the hands of Perez. The other children, born between 1992 and 2001 in Fresno or Merced to Yolanda Perez, included Kato Allen Perez, Mika Alena Perez, and Kato Krow Perez. Only the remains of two of the children have been recovered to date.
Paul Perez was already incarcerated for unrelated offenses when he was charged in 2020 with five counts of first-degree murder, accompanied by special circumstances for torture. During the trial, Yolanda Perez, his wife, testified about years of abuse and threats. She recounted how Perez killed their first child, Kato Allen, in 1992, and subsequently murdered four more children after birth, warning her against seeking help.
Yolanda Perez pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges after initially facing murder accusations, leading to a potential 10-year jail term. The couple had six children together, with Brittany being the sole survivor. The prosecutor emphasized Perez’s lack of remorse, highlighting the intentional nature of the crimes.
The District Attorney of Yolo County, Jeff Reisig, condemned Perez’s actions as “pure evil,” stating that the defendant deserves a life sentence without parole. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6 in the Yolo County Superior Court.