PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — The Tulare County Sheriff's Office said a 32-year-old Bakersfield man was arrested Thursday after his father's body was found in the backseat of a car he was sitting in while in Porterville.
Deputies were called to the area of Avenue 124 and Road 268 in Porterville for reports of a suspicious man in the area. Deputies saw Giovani Abujalil, 32, sitting in a car and they asked him to get out of the car but he refused, said TCSO. As they tried to de-escalate the situation, deputies saw a body in the back seat, said TCSO. Deputies were able to get the car door open and arrest Abujalil.
During an investigation, homicide detectives determined the victim had obvious signs of trauma, said TCSO. The victim was identified as Giovani’s father, 75-year-old Julio Abujalil of Bakersfield.
During the course of the investigation, homicide detectives determined the victim had sustained obvious signs of trauma. He was identified as Giovani’s father, 75-year-old Julio Abujalil of Bakersfield. Detectives obtained a search warrant for the Abujalils’ home, were both the victim and suspect live. During a search detectives found additional evidence linking the suspect to his father's death, said TCSO.
Authorities said they found that Giovani was determined to be a “two-strike offender" and was out on release on supervised probation for an elder abuse conviction in 2019.
Giovani Abujalil was arrested on suspicion of homicide and booked at the Tulare County Sheriff’s South County Detention Facility, where he is being held without bail.
Anyone with information regarding this case should call Detective Jose Melendez or Sergeant Bryan Clower with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit at 559-733-6218. Or they can remain anonymous by calling or texting 559-725-4194.
