California man wins $898,000 after 17-hour police interrogation falsely accusing him of killing father, who was alive

The city of Fontana was ordered to pay Thomas Perez Jr $898,000 in damages, following the incident in 2018

A California man has won a lawsuit against the Fontana Police Department after officers interrogated him for 17 hours, threatened to kill his dog, and pressured him to confess to murdering his father, who was later found alive.

Thomas Perez Jr. was awarded $898,000 in damages by a judge who described the police interrogation as a form of “psychological torture.” The incident took place in 2018 in Fontana, a city about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

In police video of the 17-hour interrogation, Mr Perez could be seen screaming out and attempting to rip his own hair out

Surveillance footage from the Fontana Police Department, shared with The Independent, shows Perez in extreme distress, screaming, attempting to rip his hair out, and pulling off his shirt. During the interrogation, officers brought in his pet Labrador Retriever, Margosha, and threatened to euthanize the dog, claiming it was depressed from witnessing a murder that never occurred. They told Perez to "say goodbye" to his pet.

Court documents reveal that Perez had called the police on August 7, 2018, after his 71-year-old father, Thomas Perez Sr., went missing during a walk with the family dog. When the dog returned without his father, detectives became suspicious because Perez seemed “distracted and unconcerned” about his father's disappearance.

At one point Mr Perez is seeing getting down on the floor of the interrogation room to lie next to his dog, Margosha

Detectives falsely informed Perez that his father was dead, that they had recovered his body, and pressured him to confess to the murder. Despite Perez’s insistence that he didn’t remember killing anyone, detectives suggested his mind was suppressing the memory.

During the interrogation, officers threatened to have Margosha euthanized as a stray, even bringing the dog into the room to heighten Perez's emotional distress. Perez was also denied access to his prescription medications for depression, stress, asthma, and high blood pressure.

Mr Perez Jr accused of murder by officers from Fontana Police Department, who told him they would put down his pet dog, Margosha

While Perez was being interrogated, officers searched his home, found bloodstains, and claimed a K-9 unit alerted them to the presence of human remains in Perez's father's bedroom. However, Perez’s lawyers argued that the photos of the bloodstains were fabricated.

According to Perez’s lawyer, Jerry Steering, the incident severely traumatized Perez, leading him to attempt suicide in the interrogation room. The whereabouts of Thomas Perez Sr. were later confirmed by Perez’s sister, who informed the police that their father had gone to a friend's house in El Monte and then traveled to Los Angeles International Airport to catch a flight to Northern California.

Thomas Perez Jr, was accused by officers from Fontana Police Department, of killing his father, who was still alive, during a 17 hour interrogation in 2018

In an Order on Summary Judgment on June 15, 2023, United States District Judge Dolly Gee stated, “A reasonable juror could conclude that the Detectives inflicted unconstitutional psychological torture on Perez.” She further noted that there was no legitimate government interest in treating Perez this way, especially since the police already had warrants to search his person and property, and he was already in custody.