Father convicted of killing 5 children and hiding infant in cooler

Paul Allen Perez Convicted of Killing Five Children

Paul Allen Perez, a father from California, was charged and convicted for killing five of his children and concealing his infant’s body in a cooler.

According to the Yolo County District Attorney’s office, Perez, 63, was found guilty on Tuesday of four charges of murder and one count of assault on a child under the age of eight that resulted in death.

Details of the Crimes

Between 1992 and 2001, Perez is thought to have murdered his children in several locations around Northern and Central California. The case came to light in 2007 when investigators found an infant’s remains hidden inside a cooler and buried in a canal. DNA testing later identified Perez as the child’s biological father.

“These crimes involved pure evil. The defendant should die in prison. May the souls of his murdered children rest in peace,” said District Attorney Jeff Reisig after the verdict.

Identification of the Victims

According to a coroner’s report, the infant, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a diaper, was around one month old when he died. For 12 years, no one knew who the baby was.

In 2019, the California Department of Justice identified the infant as Nikko Lee Perez using DNA analysis. Nikko was born in Fresno on November 8, 1996.

Nikko was later identified by investigators as one of five siblings who had perished. Some of the murdered children had the same names: Kato Allen Perez, Mika Alena Perez, Nikko Lee Perez, and Kato Krow Perez. They were all born to the same mother, Yolanda Perez, in Fresno or Merced.

Charges and Testimony

In 2020, Paul was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, including special circumstances for torture, while he was already serving time for other acts.

Yolanda recounted years of mistreatment and rape threats during his trial. She stated that the first murder happened in 1992 when she heard her husband beating Kato Allen.

Perez allegedly killed four more of his children within months of their births and threatened Yolanda if she reported him to the authorities.

“He said he’d snap my neck, because he can,” Yolanda told the jury. She entered a guilty plea to five charges of endangering children. Initially accused of murder, those charges were dropped in exchange for her testimony. She might now spend up to 10 years in prison.

Family Background

The couple had six children together after marrying at the ages of 17 and 25. The only child still alive is Brittany, the oldest. Perez was charged with five counts of murder by the DA’s office, one for each child he was alleged to have killed.