Fontana Settles for $900,000 After Police Coerce False Murder Confession
The city of Fontana has agreed to pay nearly $900,000 to Thomas Perez Jr. to settle a federal lawsuit after police pressured him into falsely confessing to a murder that never happened. During a 17-hour interrogation, officers used various tactics to coerce Perez, who was distressed and sleep-deprived, into admitting to killing his father, who was later found alive and safe. The lawsuit highlighted the extreme psychological pressure and deprivation Perez endured, leading to the settlement.