A DEPRAVED dad who brutally killed five of his own children and hid his infant’s body in a cooler is facing life in prison.
Paul Allen Perez, 63, was convicted on four counts of murder and one count of assault on a child under eight resulting in death on Tuesday.
The monster father – originally from California – began his horrific murder spree in 1992.
Police first picked up the trail of Perez’s sickening habit when they found the remains of an infant submerged in a canal and hidden inside a wine cooler in 2007.
The tiny baby was found wrapped in a blanket, wearing just a nappy.
A coroner’s report later found the baby had been just one month old at its time of death, with a DNA test revealing Perez to be the biological father.
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The infant’s identity remained a mystery until 2019, when the California Department of Justice used a DNA analysis to identify the child as Nikko Lee Perez.
Nikko was born on November 8, 1996 in Fresno.
Investigators found Nikko was one of five siblings who had died, with some of the deceased children sharing the same names – Kato Allen Perez, Mika Alena Perez, Nikko Lee Perez and Kato Krow Perez.
All five children had the same mother – Yolanda Perez – and were born in Fresno or Merced.
Their vile father was charged with five counts of first-degree murder, including special circumstances for torture, in 2020.
When charged, he was already behind bars for unrelated offences.
During his trial, Yolanda gave evidence detailing years of abuse and threats of rape.
She said the first murder happened in 1992, when she heard Perez hitting their child Kato, according to Davis Enterprise.
Police allege he went on to murder four more of his children just months after they were born, threatening Yolanda with further violence if she reported him.
“He said he’d snap my neck, because he can,” Yolanda told the jury through tears.
Yolanda also pleaded guilty to five counts of child endangerment.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s office had first charged her with murder, however dropped the charges in exchange for her evidence.
She is now facing up to a decade behind bars.
Perez was prosecuted on five counts of murder, one for each child he allegedly killed.
“These children are dead, and they’re dead because Paul Perez killed them,” Deputy District Attorney David Robbins told the court during closing arguments.
“One time is an accident; five times is intentional, ladies and gentlemen.
“There was no remorse, there was no regret, there was no acknowledgement they were his children – that’s the mindset of a killer.”
Court documents show the jury found the vile dad guilty of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder, however found him not guilty of first-degree or second-degree murder in the fifth case.
On Tuesday, Robbins said: “the world is a safe place with Paul Perez in prison”.
“There are multiple victims, alive and deceased, who can attest,” he said.
“While justice was delayed, it was not denied and today’s verdict is proof of that.”
Outside court, District Attorney Jeff Reisig also commented on the verdict, calling Perez’s crimes “pure evil”.
“The defendant should die in prison,” he said.
“May the souls of his murdered children rest in peace.”
Perez pleaded not guilty to the charges and now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He will return to the Yolo County Superior Court on April 6 for sentencing.
To date, the remains of only two of the murdered five children have been recovered.