Freddy Perez Rodas, 28, of Murrieta, was found guilty of second degree murder and arson by a jury at the Southewst Detention Center Wednesday, Oct. 7.
A Murrieta man who killed his wife, stashed her body in a storage unit and set the family home on fire has been acquitted of first-degree murder, but jurors did convict him of a lesser murder charge.
Freddy Perez Rodas, 28, sat silently at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley Wednesday, Oct. 7 as a verdict was read. He was convicted of second-degree murder and arson in the slaying of his wife, Escondido police officer Laura Perez.
Perez Rodas also received a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury with a firearm. He faces 48 years to life in prison when he is sentenced, Prosecutor Mike Cabral said.
Family members of Perez Rodas and his attorney, Johnnetta Anderson, declined to comment.
On July 23, 2014, Perez Rodas fatally shot his wife during what he said was an argument over a possible affair. One of the shots was fired into Perez's back at close range, according to testimony from a forensic pathologist.
He then set the house on fire, deposited his wife's body in a Moreno Valley storage unit and returned to the scene, claiming he thought his wife was inside the burning house.
He told Detective John Therrien he believed Perez' coworkers, neighbors and a suspicious person in a white pickup truck could have been responsible for her disappearance before he admitted the slaying and led them to the body.
During the course of the trial, Cabral pointed to Perez's online search for a gun silencer. He also noted that Perez Rodas had large money orders and passports in his truck.
Perez Rodas is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 4.