Cold Case SHOCKER: Father Convicted of Infant Murders

Forensic team examining evidence at a crime scene indoors.

A California drifter convicted of murdering four of his own infant children now fights for a new trial, raising questions about justice for the helpless victims.[1][2]

Story Highlights

Yolo County jury convicted Paul Allen Perez on January 6, 2026, of multiple murder counts and child assault resulting in death for crimes from 1992-2001.[2]
Familial DNA from one infant’s remains, found in 2007 in a submerged cooler, identified Perez as the biological father.[2][3]
Perez faces life without parole, but sentencing delayed as defense seeks new trial on July 27, 2026.[4]
Jury acquitted on fifth murder charge with mistrial declared; remains of three infants never recovered.[3][4]

Details of the Conviction

A Yolo County jury convicted 63-year-old Paul Allen Perez on January 6, 2026, of one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and one count of assault on a child under eight with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death.[2] The jury also found true a multiple murders enhancement.[2] These verdicts stemmed from killings of his infants between 1992 and 2001 across Central and Northern California.[2][3] Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig called the crimes “pure evil.”[2] Judge Daniel Wolk presided over the trial.[2]

Perez, a transient, fathered the victims: Kato Allen Perez (born 1992), Mika Alena Perez (born 1995), Nikko Lee Perez (born 1996), a second Nikko Lee Perez (born 1997), and Kato Krow Perez (born 2001).[3] None lived past six months.[3] California Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the conviction for resolving this cold case through collaborative law enforcement.[3]

Breakthrough in the Cold Case

Investigators cracked the case after fishermen discovered one infant’s remains in 2007 in Conway Slough east of Woodland, sealed in a weighted cooler wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh blanket.[2][3] Familial DNA analysis in 2017 by the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services Missing Persons DNA Program and Cal-DNA Data Bank confirmed Perez as the biological father of Nikko Lee Perez (born 1996).[2][3] Local investigators built the case from this lead.[3] Perez was arrested in 2020 while nearing release from Kern Valley State Prison on an unrelated assault with intent to commit rape conviction.[3]

The cold case spanned decades, highlighting DNA technology’s role in delivering justice for vulnerable infants.[3] Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez noted in 2020 that Nikko was not an only child, with four siblings suffering the same fate.[3] All victims were believed murdered as infants.[3]

Defense Challenges and Sentencing Delay

Perez’s attorneys requested a continuance on April 6, 2026, to file post-trial motions for a new trial.[4] Judge Wolk granted the delay, scheduling arguments for July 27, 2026.[4] Sentencing will follow if the motion fails.[4] On the fifth homicide charge, the jury acquitted Perez of first-degree and second-degree murder and deadlocked, prompting a mistrial declaration.[4] Remains of three infants—Mika Alena, the second Nikko Lee, and Kato Krow—remain undiscovered.[3]

This development tests the conviction’s strength amid evidentiary gaps, such as missing remains and no detailed public cause-of-death information.[3][4] Conservatives value swift justice protecting the innocent, especially defenseless children, without endless appeals eroding verdicts based on solid DNA evidence.[2][3] The case underscores family breakdown’s horrors in transient lifestyles, contrasting traditional values of life and responsibility.[3]