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.
Disgusting.
Almost as disgusting as the fact that they’ll likely keep doing this with no repercussions.
Pretty much this. Since the taxpayers are footing the bill and, from what we can tell, the officers have had absolutely no discipline placed upon them, they’ll keep doing this. Because they know it works. It doesn’t matter that they tried to get an innocent man to admit to actual murder, all they want is that confession - not necessarily the truth (because the truth is hard and simply threatening or beating a confession out of someone who’s been arrested is much easier).