Ark Valley News - Behind bars for life

Daniel U. Perez listens to Judge Joseph Bribiesca as he is sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court March 24. Perez received two life sentences plus nearly 34 years.

Behind bars for life
By David Dinell
Last Updated: April 02, 2015

Perez sentenced in first-degree murder conviction

Prison will be Daniel U. Perez's home for the rest of his life.

Perez was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences March 24 by Judge Joseph Bribiesca for the first-degree premeditated murder of Patricia Hughes, 26, in rural Valley Center and for sexual exploitation of a child.

He also received 406 months, or almost 34 more years, from Bribiesca for additional crimes, including aggravated criminal sodomy, rape, insurance schemes and more. Perez had 28 counts against him and was found guilty on all.

Asked by Bribiesca if he had anything to say, Perez, who appeared in court in an orange jail jumpsuit along with hand and ankle shackles, simply answered "no."

"He's never going to see the light of day again," said District Attorney Marc Bennett after the sentencing. "He earned it. The number of lives the man left in his wake is hard to fathom."

Technically, Perez will be eligible for parole in almost 84 years. However, he's 55 now, so for all practical purposes, he will pass away in prison.

"The parole board that would see him hasn't even been born yet," Bennett said.

Perez, who now is in Sedgwick County Jail, will be transferred to the state prison system, whose officials will decide where his term will be served. An appeal will be filed, a process that could take several years. However, Bennett is confident the convictions will stand.

"It's a solid case," he said.

Perez was the leader of a group called "the family," which lived in a multi-unit compound known as Angels Landing in the 9500 block of North Oliver. Its members lived an extravagant lifestyle, fueled by the proceeds from life insurance settlements, including one from Hughes' death.

There were three other life insurance deaths connected with the clan, but only Hughes' drowning death resulted in a conviction.

Young sexual abuse victims in the compound testified that Perez terrified them by intimidating and threatening them. He also boasted about having special mystical powers, but after Perez's arrest on identity charges in 2010, they grew to distrust those claims and came forth and testified to law enforcement about Perez, allowing a case to be built against him.

It was the courage of the victims to talk about the inner workings of the compound along with the tenacity of detectives that made the prosecution possible, Bennett said.

"This was quite a remarkable case," he said. "This was a long time in coming to get to this point."

Before sentencing, Perez's attorney, Alice Osburn, asked for a new trial, saying that the witnesses had "conspired together" and that the case was "based on errors." Deputy district attorney Kim Parker defended the case, and said it was "well researched" and tried fairly.

The judge agreed with Parker and denied Osburn's request.

For Perez's victims, March 24 was the day a door closed in a long chapter of their lives.

Some of those who testified, along with their families, started filing in the courtroom shortly before 9 a.m., filling the room's benches. (The News is not using their names because they are the victims of sexual abuse.)

It was an emotionally charged atmosphere. A couple of the victims, now adults but who were minors when the abuse occurred, clutched tissues, crying softly. The legs of one victim shook uncontrollably as a family member put her arms around her shoulders.

The judge asked family members or victims who wanted to comment to do so. All faced the judge during their statements, not looking at Perez, who was standing at the other end of the courtroom.

One asked that "justice" be served to Perez. "This man hurt a lot of people," he said. The first of the two victims to comment stood with Bennett holding his right hand behind her back, comforting her.

"I'm angry at him," she said. "You are one sick and disgusting man for all you did."

She said he consistently lied to her and the other victim present and threatened them both. However, those days are done with, she said.

"You cannot hurt me anymore," she said. "There's nothing you can do to me anymore. You will never hurt anyone again."

The other victim, speaking in a strong, clear voice, said that "too many lives had been impacted" by Perez, including her's. Not only did she endure physical pain, there was mental and emotional suffering, too.

He ruined her childhood, taking away its innocence and plunging her into a terrifying abyss, she said. She was plagued by depression and suicidal thoughts.

"I was planning my own death," she said, "but I just hung on for one more day."

Even today, she is tormented by her experiences with Perez and life at the compound. "These issues have not stopped and I don't think they will," she said. "Every day I spent questioning my decision to stay in that house."

Perez can never be freed, she said.

"He will do this again, no matter what the cost," she said.

The judge concurred with her plea for life imprisonment, saying that the evidence showed that Perez "used people for money, sex and a lavish lifestyle."

About an hour after Perez was escorted into the courtroom, he was led back out by sheriff's deputies. There was no interaction with him and his victims.

Then, the victims and their families hugged each other, some with tears rolling down their faces, and shook hands with law enforcement officers before leaving. They declined to be interviewed by The News or other media.

For all of them, Perez is gone, out of their lives, never to be seen or heard from again.

For the detectives who worked the case, they are likely to never forget it. Similarly, for the victims, as conveyed during their comments to the judge, they, too, will never forget. Nor is it possible, they say, as the consequences of Perez's actions will be with them forever.