88-Year-Old Father Found With Four Gunshot Wounds in Dos Palos

Police discovered the 88-year-old father face down in the living room of their Dos Palos home on December 16, 2025, with an estimated four gunshot wounds and several stab wounds.

Porfirio Romero, 43, appeared in a Merced courtroom on October 30, 2026, as detectives detailed the sequence of events that led to the killing. The testimony focused on the violent nature of the attack and the strained relationship between the two men.

Detective Adam Coronado stated that Romero admitted to shooting his father in the back of the head. Coronado testified that Romero claimed it was early in the morning and he was "having thoughts in his head" when he took a firearm and shot his father while he sat on the couch watching television.

After firing several shots, Romero unloaded his gun and went to the kitchen. He retrieved a knife and stabbed his father until he was certain the man was dead. Coronado noted that investigators found evidence related to a missing kitchen knife, specifically the largest blade that fit in the kitchen block.

The defense attorney, Dominic Falasco, pressed Coronado on Romero's mental state. Falasco asked if Romero had told officers he was trying to talk "everybody" out of doing anything, defining that term as voices he was hearing in his head. Coronado confirmed that Romero had made that statement.

Romero fled the scene and purchased a rental car. The following day, Dos Palos police located his phone at a Chowchilla gas station. When officers attempted to stop a rented white BMW, Romero refused to stop and led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit spanning three counties before being taken into custody in Fresno.

Romero is scheduled to return to court on November 12 for his arraignment.