After a decade of unspeakable horror, California father Paul Allen Perez — who murdered five of his children and hid his infant’s body in a cooler — has finally faced justice.
Perez, 63, identified as a transient, was convicted Tuesday on four counts of murder and one count of assault on a child under 8 resulting in death, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s office.
Perez is believed to have killed his children at different locations scattered across Northern and central California between 1992 and 2001. The grim mystery began to unravel when investigators discovered an infant’s remains submerged in a canal and concealed inside a cooler in 2007. DNA testing later revealed 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.
A coroner’s report determined the child — dressed in a diaper and wrapped in a blanket — was approximately 1 month old at the time of death. The baby’s identity remained unknown for 12 years.
The California Department of Justice used DNA analysis in 2019 to identify the child as Nikko Lee Perez. They determined Nikko was born November 8, 1996 in Fresno.
Investigators subsequently discovered that Nikko was one of five siblings who had died. Some of the deceased children shared the exact same names — Kato Allen Perez, Mika Alena Perez, Nikko Lee Perez and Kato Krow Perez. All were born in Fresno or Merced to the same mother, Yolanda Perez.
The California Post is coming soon. Sign up for updates.
Get in early. Be the first to know about launch and home delivery.
Thanks for signing up!
Paul, already serving time for unrelated offenses, was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, including special circumstances for torture in 2020.
During his trial, Yolanda recalled years of abuse and threats of rape. She said the first killing occurred in 1992, when she heard her husband hitting Kato Allen, as reported by Davis Enterprise.
Authorities allege Perez killed four more of his children just months after they were born, threatening Yolanda with violence if she went to police.
“He said he’d snap my neck, because he can,” Yolanda cried to the jury.
Yolanda Perez pleaded guilty to five counts of child endangerment. The Yolo County District Attorney’s office initially charged her with murder, but those charges were dropped in exchange for her testimony. She now faces up to 10 years in prison.
The couple — who married at 17 and 25 — had six children together. Brittany, the eldest, is the only surviving child.
The DA’s office prosecuted Perez on five counts of murder, one for each child he was accused of killing.
“These children are dead, and they’re dead because Paul Perez killed them. One time is an accident; five times is intentional, ladies and gentlemen,” said Deputy District Attorney David Robbins during the trial’s closing arguments.
“There was no remorse, there was no regret, there was no acknowledgment they were his children. That’s the mindset of a killer,” he added.
According to court records, the jury found Perez guilty of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, but found him not guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder in the fifth case.
Court records show the jury could not agree on the involuntary manslaughter charge, leading Judge Daniel Wolk to declare a mistrial.
“The world is a safer place with Paul Perez in prison, and there are multiple victims, alive and deceased, who can attest. While justice was delayed, it was not denied, and today’s verdict is proof of that,” said Robbins.
Perez pleaded not guilty and faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for April 6, 2026, in Yolo County Superior Court.
To date, the remains of only two of the five children have been recovered.
