Former Lee County deputy claims ‘stand your ground’ in 2019 death of his son

A former deputy says he had to choke his son because he feared for his life.

Former Lee County Deputy Sergio Perez, 58, faces a manslaughter charge, but last Friday, his attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the manslaughter charge based on stand your ground immunity.

Perez turned himself in to deputies in April 2020 for the 2019 death of his son, 33-year-old Ramon.

Investigators say Perez killed his son at his mother’s home — Ramon’s grandmother — in Cape Coral.

Sergio Perez’s attorneys wrote in a 43-page document, if the former deputy released his son from a chokehold, his son would have hurt or killed him or his own grandmother.

But Ramon’s mother is confident justice will prevail.

Yadira Peña describes her only son, Ramon Perez, as outgoing, cheerful and with a good sense of humor.

Now, his father says choking his son during a fight was justified in order to protect himself and his mother. Sergio Perez’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss his manslaughter charge based on Stand Your Ground immunity.

“I’m confident justice will be served for my loving son,” Peña said.

Documents show Ramon Perez was drinking and at one point punched his father in the head. Sergio told his mother to call the police, but Ramon pushed her. She suffered a broken hip and a brain bleed.

That’s when documents show Sergio put Ramon in a chokehold to defend himself and his mother until police showed.

When police got to the home, Ramon was unresponsive and pronounced dead.

“For dad to intervene and prevent any further injury to grandma, that is in and of itself a good deed, and to top it off, there’s another part,” said David Thomas, a former police officer and a forensic studies professor at FGCU. “How bad was the altercation that happened between the son and the father?”

Thomas said it’s possible Sergio Perez can make a stand your ground case for himself.

“He has a right to try to stop that threat,” Thomas said. “Now, it depends on how violent that altercation got in that house.”

The court documents also show Sergio told investigators his son pulled a gun on him several times, and investigators say they found 26 guns in Ramon’s room.

We reached out to Sergio Perez’s attorneys but have not heard back from them.

Perez is due back in court Tuesday, May 4.