Calif. man previously convicted of elder abuse accused of killing father, leaving body in car

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (TCD) -- A 32-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly killing his father and leaving the body in the back seat of a car.

According to a statement from the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, on Jan. 27, deputies responded to a call about a suspicious man at a home on the 12300 block of Road 268 Porterville at approximately 7:40 a.m. There was reportedly a man "acting erratically and asking [for] money for gas." When deputies arrived, the suspect, Giovani Abujalil, reportedly "refused to get out of the car."

Deputies reportedly attempted to "de-escalate the situation" and, while doing so, noticed a body in the back seat of the car. They then "immediately determined possible foul play was involved." Law enforcement officers eventually opened the door and took Abujalil into custody without further incident.

Homicide detectives identified the victim as Giovani’s father, 75-year-old Julio Abujalil of Bakersfield. Investigators obtained a search warrant and looked through the home where Giovani and his father lived and reportedly "found additional evidence at the scene linking Giovani to the crime."

Giovani had reportedly been released from prison a week before his father’s death. According to the statement, Giovani was a "two-striker" and was released on probation for his elder abuse conviction.

He was arrested on a homicide charge and is being held without bail.

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