‘Pure evil’: Father convicted of murdering his 5 infant children dating back to 1992

WOODLAND, Calif. (TNND) — A California father was convicted in connection to the deaths of his five infant children, prosecutors announced.

The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office identified the man as 63-year-old Paul Allen Perez.

FILE – The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office released photos of victims of a cold case investigation. (Photo: Yolo County Sheriff’s Office)

He was found guilty of multiple counts of murder and one count of “assault on a child under eight with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death.” The babies were all under the age of six months, authorities said.

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

Reisig said Perez’s conviction stemmed from murders that date as far back as 1992 throughout Central and Northern California.

The case broke in 2007 after one of the baby’s remains were found by fishermen. The 1-month-old infant was discovered inside a weighted down and submerged cooler in the Conway Slough.

A coroner’s report noted that the baby was wrapped in a “Winnie the Pooh” blanket, as well as plastic, before being placed inside the cooler.

“Familial DNA of that infant determined that Paul Allen Perez was the biological father,” the release noted.

The baby was identified as Nikko Lee Perez, who was born in 1996. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office previously said investigators determined the infant had multiple siblings, including the following:

• Kato Allen Perez, who was born in 1992
• Mika Alena Perez, who was born in 1995
• Nikko Lee Perez, who was born in 1997
• Kato Krow Perez, who was born in 2001

All of the children are believed to be dead, said authorities, adding that the remains of three of the baby have not been found.

“While I am proud of the efforts of my investigators and coroner’s office, this is not a day that will bring joy to any one of us,” Sheriff Tom Lopez said in 2020. “In my 40 years in law enforcement, I cannot think of a case more disturbing than this one. There can be no victim more vulnerable and innocent than an infant, and unfortunately this case involves five.”

Perez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentence was set for April 6.