An admitted gang member accused of gunning down Delano grape grower Jakov Dulcich repeatedly denied involvement in the killing after being told a witness identified him as the shooter and the suspect vehicle — a silver Kia registered to his mother — was found set ablaze at the Kern-Tulare county line, according to court documents.
Questioned by sheriff’s investigators, Mariano Perez denied knowing the 84-year-old Dulcich or ever having worked in his fields. Detectives asked if someone paid him to kill Dulcich and asked what Dulcich could have done to him to deserve to die.
Perez, 24, continued to deny involvement and said he had no reason to kill “an old white guy,” according to the documents.
He claimed someone must have stolen his mother’s vehicle and he knew nothing about the crime. He acknowledged, however, that the evidence pointed to him.
An admitted Norteno gang member with multiple tattoos representing his gang affiliation, Perez, is charged with crimes including first-degree murder in Dulcich’s death…
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