In a case that has drawn significant attention, Fontana police officers in California coerced a false murder confession from Thomas Perez Jr. in 2018 by threatening to euthanize his dog. This egregious act led to a federal lawsuit and a $1.46 million settlement after a judge ruled the interrogation amounted to ‘unconstitutional psychological torture.’Why this matters: This case highlights the need for police accountability and adherence to constitutional standards during interrogations. If left unchecked, such abuses of power can lead to wrongful convictions and erosion of trust in law enforcement.The incident began on August 7, 2018, when Perez’s father left home with their dog to collect mail, and the dog returned alone. The following day, Perez reported his father missing and was taken in for questioning by the Fontana Police Department. Despite a lack of evidence, officers accused Perez of murdering his father.During the 17-hour interrogation, officers employed various tactics to pressure Perez into confessing. These included bringing his dog into the interrogation room and threatening to euthanize it if he did not confess. They also took him to a dirt lot, asking him to search for his father’s body, and falsely claimed that his father’s body was in a morgue.The officers’ psychological manipulation was evident in their statements to Perez. One officer told him, ‘You murdered your dad,’ and another added, ‘Daddy’s dead because of you.’ These emotionally manipulative statements, combined with the threat to euthanize his dog, led Perez to a state of extreme distress.Perez, who was mentally unstable and undergoing withdrawal from his psychiatric medications, became visibly distressed during the interrogation. He resorted to self-destructive acts, such as pulling at his hair, hitting himself, and tearing off his shirt. Despite his obvious need for medical attention, the officers denied him his psychiatric medication.After hours of relentless pressure, Perez finally admitted to a crime he did not commit. When left alone in the interrogation room, he attempted suicide by hanging. Later that night, detectives received a call that Perez’s father had been located alive, but they did not inform Perez of this.Perez was then taken to a hospital on an involuntary psychiatric hold, where he remained in isolation for three days, believing both his father and dog were dead. His lawyer, Jerry Steering, highlighted the severity of the police’s actions, stating, *’Mentally torturing a false confession out of Tom Perez, concealing from him that his father was alive and well, and confining him in the psych ward because they made him suicidal.’*The city of Fontana agreed to pay Perez $1.46 million in a settlement after a judge ruled that the interrogation was ‘unconstitutional psychological torture.’ Steering remarked, ‘In my 40 years of suing the police I have never seen that level of deliberate cruelty by the police.’Despite the settlement, the Fontana Police Department has not issued a statement regarding the incident, nor have they disclosed whether any officers involved will face disciplinary action. This case serves as a vivid illustration of the potential for abuse in police interrogations and the severe consequences of such actions.The case of Thomas Perez Jr. highlights the importance of safeguarding the rights of individuals during police interrogations and ensuring that law enforcement practices adhere to constitutional standards.Key Takeaways CA police coerced a false murder confession from Thomas Perez Jr. by threatening to kill his dog. The 17-hour interrogation included emotional manipulation, false claims, and denial of medication. Perez, mentally unstable, became distressed, attempted suicide, and was later hospitalized. The city of Fontana agreed to a $1.46 million settlement, citing “unconstitutional psychological torture.” The case highlights the need for police accountability and adherence to constitutional standards.
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