Murrieta man found guilty of murdering his police officer wife

MURRIETA – 7:43 a.m. – Freddy Perez Rodas, the 29-year-old Murrieta man who gunned down his police officer wife and then set their house ablaze to cover up the crime, was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder.   

Rodas could face 49 years to life for the July 23, 2014, slaying of 25-year-old Laura Perez, an Escondido police officer and mother of the defendant’s now-5-year-old daughter.   

Sentencing was scheduled  by Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso for December 4.   

A Murrieta jury deliberated nearly two days before returning a guilty verdict.

10/24/15 3:20 p.m. – The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge Friday against a Murrieta man accused of killing his wife, who was an Escondido police officer. Freddy Perez-Rodas is charged with one count each of murder and arson, and there also is a sentencing enhancement of personal use of a firearm. If convicted as currently charged, he could face up to 50 years to life in prison.

Perez-Rodas appeared before Judge Judith Clark for his arraignment and entered not guilty pleas to all counts. He remains in custody in lieu of $2 million bail. The judge scheduled the next court date in this case, a felony settlement conference, in the middle of August.

Perez-Rodas is charged with the murder of his wife, Laura Perez, 25. Based on the evidence found during the investigation by the Murrieta Police Department, it is believed that Laura Perez was shot to death in the couple’s home on Grand Oaks Court in Murrieta on July 23, 2014. The defendant is accused of then removing the victim’s body from the home and taking the body to a storage locker in Moreno Valley. Perez-Rodas then is believed to have returned to the home where he started multiple fires inside. He then called 911 to report his residence was on fire.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Burke Strunsky of the DA’s Homicide Unit.