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A Montebello man charged with killing his wife, dumping her body in a car and fleeing with his young children pleaded guilty to her murder and other charges on Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Daniel Diego Perez, 45, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his 39-year-old wife, Erica.
Officers discovered her body stuffed in the trunk of a car that was parked near the family’s Montebello home in December 2014, said Deputy District Attorney Miji Vellakkatel.
Perez took off with his 8-year-old and 6-year-old sons after killing his wife, police said. Officers pursued him, resulting in a standoff that endangered the children, according to Vellakkatel.
Perez pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse for the endangerment. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder, plus seven years, four months for the child abuse charges.
