Suspect in Insurance Scams Charged in Kansas Death

A man accused of collecting life insurance payouts in numerous deaths is now charged with premeditated murder in the 2003 death of a Kansas woman initially investigated as an accidental drowning.

Daniel U. Perez appeared via video hookup Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court on 39 charges, including the death of Patricia Hughes at a home in Valley Center.

The complaint unsealed Thursday charges the 52-year-old defendant with multiple counts of rape and sodomy involving three victims. He’s also charged with aggravated assault, making false statements to obtain auto credit, sexual exploitation of a child and making false statements on life insurance applications.

Perez is held on $2 million bond pending a preliminary hearing Feb. 2.

His court-appointed attorney, Alice Osburn, did not immediately return a call for comment.