> At a Glance
> – Paul Allen Perez, 63, was convicted of murdering five of his infant children between 1992 and 2001.
> – The victims were all under 6 months old.
> – Perez faces life in prison without parole; sentencing is set for April 6.
> – Why it matters: The conviction closes a decades-long case that began with the 2007 discovery of an infant’s remains in a submerged cooler.
A California jury has convicted Paul Allen Perez of murdering five of his infant children, ending a cold case that spanned nearly three decades.
The Discovery That Broke the Case
In 2007, a fisherman found a sealed metal cooler east of Woodland, California. Inside was the body of a baby boy wrapped in plastic and a Winnie the Pooh blanket. The cooler had been weighted down with metal rotors, a brick, and U-shaped metal pieces.
The coroner ruled the infant’s cause of death as blunt force trauma. He was estimated to be between 1 and 3 months old.
DNA Links Perez to Five Victims
Using familial DNA, investigators identified the baby as Nikko Lee Perez, born in 1996. Further investigation revealed four more of Perez’s children had died under similar circumstances:
- Kato Allen Perez – born 1992
- Mika Alena Perez – born 1995
- Nikko Lee Perez – born 1997
- Kato Krow Perez – born 2001
All five children were under 6 months old at the time of their deaths.
Charges and Conviction
Perez was charged in 2020 with five counts of murder and one count of assault on a child under 8 resulting in death. At the time, he was already serving time at Kern Valley State Prison for unrelated offenses.
On January 6, a jury convicted him on all counts. He now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
> Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig stated:
> “These crimes involved pure evil. The defendant should die in prison. May the souls of his murdered children rest in peace.”
Key Takeaways
- Paul Allen Perez killed five of his infant children between 1992 and 2001.
- The case was cracked using familial DNA after a baby’s remains were found in 2007.
- Perez will be sentenced on April 6 and faces life without parole.
The conviction marks a rare resolution in a case that began with a single disturbing discovery and ended with justice for five short lives.
