Trevon Perry’s family confronts killer at emotional sentencing in SLO

His murderer could spend life in prison — but what Trevon Perry’s family wants most of all is closure.

On Tuesday, the family of Perry, who was murdered by Paso Robles resident Nicholas Ron in an execution-style shooting in 2020, flew from Chandler, Texas, to speak at Ron’s sentencing in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

“We wanted to face them and let them see our pain,” Geary Perry, Trevon Perry’s father, said in reference to Ron and Ron’s mother, Marie Holquin. “We felt like we were owed that.”

Ron, 25, was sentenced in San Luis Obispo Superior Court to 28 years to life in state prison. He pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder with the use of a firearm on March 15 — two years to the day after he killed Perry.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Ron received 25 years to life for the murder and three years for using a firearm.

Perry, 27, was living in Paso Robles when he disappeared in March 2020, four months after he testified against a North County man accused of murdering Perry’s best friend in 2019.

Perry’s disappearance sparked a months-long missing persons case before investigators found his body in the backyard of Ron’s grandmother’s Riverside home on June 18, 2020, buried beneath a chicken coup.

Ron shot Perry in the back of the neck execution-style at point-blank range while the two men were riding in a car driven by Mario Rostro, according to court testimony.

San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Mike Frye told The Tribune that it’s significant that Ron pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, and it speaks to Ron’s willingness to accept responsibility for his actions.

“No words are enough” to explain the pain the Perry family has gone through because of Ron, the prosecutor added.

“No number of years in prison could be enough to adequately pay for Trevon’s senseless death,” San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in a news release. “We continue to grieve for Trevon’s family and loved ones. Trevon Perry will always be missed and remembered.”

Killer’s mother awaits sentencing

Nine of Ron’s family members helped cover up the crime by moving the body, lying to police and destroying evidence and were charged with accessory after the fact. The maximum sentence for this crime is three years in California.

Accessory after the fact, known as Penal Code 32, applies to anyone who helped someone hide or conceal any felony after the crime was committed. Sentencing guidelines for the charge are the same no matter the felony the person charged is alleged to have helped conceal.

In other words, someone who is charged with accessory after the fact for felony shoplifting could theoretically get the same sentence as someone who is charged with accessory after the fact for murder or rape.

Seven of the nine people charged in the Perry case did not serve time in jail.

Rostro was given the maximum three years as a split sentence — two years in jail and one year of probation.

Holguin was the only other person to serve time in jail.

She faced a maximum sentence of five years and four months, but was placed on supervised release on March 29 after serving one year and four months behind bars. That’s the entirety of the sentence she is expected to received later this month.

Leniency toward family members was a part of Ron’s plea deal.

“I felt like Nick was able to choose his sentence, his mother’s sentence and my son’s life sentence and I don’t understand,” Kelli Perry told The Tribune.

Both Kelli Perry and Scott cannot fathom how a mother could hide someone’s child from them, and much less help cover up the murder of someone’s child.

“How do you sleep at night with that? How do you know that there’s other parents, four other parents, that have been involved with Trevon all his life and you were going to leave us without knowing where he was or what happened,” Trevon Perry’s mother, Kelli Perry, told the Tribune. “As a mother, we just don’t do that.”

Shannon Scott, Trevon Perry’s biological mother, told The Tribune she feels Holquin could have stopped the violence but chose not to.

Scott said she doesn’t even consider Holquin to be a mother.

“How on earth could you help hide another mother’s son?” she said.

The Perry family hopes to also attend Holquin’s sentencing in person, but it is scheduled for June 28 on Zoom. It was unclear Tuesday whether the sentencing will be rescheduled to be in-person so the family can travel to attend it.

Murder victim’s family members give impact statements

Speaking Tuesday, Trevon Perry’s family members expressed feelings of anger, confusion and heartbreak.

“I haven’t heard a single thing that would make any sense of why (Ron) took (Perry’s) life that day,” Kelli Perry told the court in an impact statement. “And we’re supposed to feel that we got justice?”

Through tears, Perry told the court how loved her son was, and how missed he’s been. He was a star athlete, good student, and the best sibling, uncle, son and friend anyone could have, she said.

“My youngest son can’t even be here because you took more like a father figure from him,” Kelli Perry told Ron in court. “He won’t ever be the same again without him.”

While Ron will be able to send his family and loved ones letters from prison, the Perry family will never be able to hear from Trevon Perry again, Kelli Perry said.

“We won’t get letters,” she said. “We have to go back to the letters we have from when he was a child, the letters he wrote us, and those are the only letters we’ll ever see.”

Trevon Perry’s family had hoped for a trial. They wanted Ron — and the other nine people who helped cover-up the crime — to receive the highest possible sentence. They also wanted to know why Ron killed Perry.

But without a trial, they remain without answers.

“What hurts the most is that his kids will never know him, his new niece will never know him,” Scott told the court, speaking about Perry. “I just need closure. I just need to know why.”

Emotions ran high during Tuesday’s sentencing. The courtroom has restrictions on what can be said during court proceedings, and those who speak must remain “respectful,” Frye said.

“You’re telling us to come in and be respectful — how do you do that?” Geary Perry asked Superior Court Judge Jesse Marino during the sentencing.

Marino told the Perry family he hopes Ron’s sentencing gives them some sort of closure.

“Rely on each other,” he said. “You’re a strong family, powerful family. That’s clear. Be patient with each other. That’s going to be your great asset.”

He said the most poignant moment for him during the victim’s statements was when Kelli Perry talked about never being able to receive a letter from her son ever again.

“You’re going to have to reckon with the fact that you caused that and come to terms with that,” Marino told Ron. “You can’t make up for it, this sentence doesn’t make up for it, no sentence provided for in California law makes up for it.”

How Trevon Perry’s family is moving forward

Scott said moving forward means celebrating she had with her slain son and living for the children she has that are still alive. She said the sentencing helped bring her closure, and she has to learn to forgive Ron.Kelli Perry said she’s focusing on connecting with California legislators to change sentencing laws in the state so that when someone helps cover up a crime, their punishment better reflects the gravity of the crime they helped conceal.

“I’ll either get (the law) changed and (Trevon’s) name will be on it or I’ll die trying because I won’t rest until that’s there and I won’t wait until another parent or a sibling is in the same situation,” Kelli Perry told The Tribune.

She called Perry a remarkable young man who always made sure his loved ones knew they were loved.

He loved spending time outdoors with his dad, and the family recently moved on a lake and bought a pontoon boat, Kelli Perry said.

“He always wanted to have (a pontoon boat) so that we can have family trips out on the boat,” she said. “We have that now but we’re one short. It will just never be the same.”

Tierra Perry, Trevon Perry’s younger sister, said she continues to fight for justice for her brother because she knows he would have done the same for her.

Her brother was everything to her, she said.

“This is a life sentence for us, and that’s why we didn’t want anything less for Nick,” Tierra Perry told The Tribune. “This is every day for the rest of our lives. (Ron has) finally been sentenced and this part of it is over, but until that law is changed, we’re not done.”

“My mom will fight for us even when we’re dead and gone. A true mother. She’s not done. And I know Tre is so proud of her right now.”