BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Court documents obtained by 23ABC reveal more details surrounding the death of a man found in a bathtub of a Southwest Bakersfield apartment.
According to documents, on December 4, 2018 around 8 p.m., officers were called out to an apartment complex in the 1400 block of McDonald Way in Southwest Bakersfield for reports of an argument. According to court documents, one of the first people officers talked to was 45-year-old Louie Ricardo Perez. BPD says Perez allegedly had a cut on his hand and was evasive when officers questioned him about a fight that happened.
BPD says officers also talked to three other people in the apartment.
According to police, Louie Perez initially gave police a false name and date of birth and did the same for his brother.
Documents say that Perez told police that someone swung a "black foam bat, modified with a metal rod inserted into the center of it" at his brother and Perez stepped in before getting hit in his hand.
Document show that after officers realized Perez was lying about his name, they noticed blood on the floor.
BPD says officers were told the victim was in the shower. One of the other people in the apartment allegedly gave officers permission to enter. When officers entered, the shower was allegedly running and there were signs of a struggle. BPD says the toilet had allegedly been knocked over and allegedly there was blood splatter on the floor and outside of the bathroom.
When officers pulled back the shower curtain, they allegedly found a man with obvious signs of trauma to the face, head, neck and torso. BPD says several knives were found in the bathtub with the victim, including a knife still stabbed into the victim's right side.
Documents detail that a 10-inch knife was found "sliced into the victim's right side of his neck" and another knife was sticking out of his ribcage area.
According to court documents, officers then "froze" the location and detained Perez and the other three people who were in the apartment.
Homicide detectives were then called out to the apartment. BPD says detectives found "several blood droplets and a small 4- to 6-inch puddle" of blood on the patio outside of the apartment. Inside, detectives allegedly found several lines of blood running down the hallway. According to court documents, it appeared something or someone bloody was allegedly dragged.
A black revolver was allegedly found in the apartment, partially wrapped in a black sock or clothing.
In the bathroom, detectives say they found clothing and cleaning items. The victim allegedly had a large kitchen knife sticking out of his ribs on the right side. A long serrated kitchen knife was also allegedly found on top of the victim's face and neck.
Court documents show the four men were taken by BPD for questioning.
On December 5, 2018, court documents show BPD officers allegedly seized 125 pieces of evidence, including DNA from the four men there.
Perez is also accused of shooting two other men at a home in the 1400 block of Lomita Drive in October 2018.
Court documents show that a neighbor told police that they had called police after hearing a fight in the apartment and that the neighbors son saw a man hit another with a bat.
An additional neighbor said that there had been fights in the suspects apartment in the past.
Investigators later got a warrant to seize fingerprints and DNA swabs from Daniel Animas. Witnesses said that Animas and Perez assaulted the victim until he died.
Perez denied involvement and both he and Animas were arrested. Animas, under Miranda, admitted to his involvement according to documents, and admitted to leaving the apartment through a bedroom window.
