At one point during the interrogation, the investigators even threatened to have his pet Labrador Retriever, Margosha, euthanized as a stray, and brought the dog into the room so he could say goodbye. “OK? Your dog’s now gone, forget about it,” said an investigator.
Finally, after curling up with the dog on the floor, Perez broke down and confessed. He said he had stabbed his father multiple times with a pair of scissors during an altercation in which his father hit Perez over the head with a beer bottle.
Perez’s father wasn’t dead — or even missing. Thomas Sr. was at Los Angeles International Airport waiting for a flight to see his daughter in Northern California. But police didn’t immediately tell Perez.
Absolutely horrifying. I’m sure this has already been said here, but it bears repeating over and over and over again: If the police bring you into an interrogation room and read you your Miranda rights IMMEDIATELY REQUEST A LAWYER. This is true even if (ESPECIALLY IF) you have done nothing wrong. Don’t give them any of this “should I have a lawyer?” or “I think I might need a lawyer” bullshit… they have and will twist that; continue to question/manipulate you. You need to state it EMPHATICALLY “I will not talk without a lawyer present, I want my lawyer present.” Legally, the police are allowed to lie to you, deceive you, and a limited amount of bashing you around verbally. There are no police badges that say “this is a good cop who is not trying to manipulate you” and never for a moment think you’re smarter than an investigator… you might be smarter than some people at some things, but these folks whole job is to manipulate people. You need a legal expert on your side.