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Central Valley Man On Probation For Elder Abuse Arrested In Father's Death

PORTERVILLE, Tulare County (AP) — A man on probation for elder abuse was arrested in central California after sheriff's deputies found the body of his father in an SUV, authorities said.

Giovani Abujalil, 32, was arrested Thursday in Porterville on suspicion of murder, a week after he was released from prison after serving time for a 2019 elder abuse conviction, the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Friday.

A homeowner called deputies to report a man was acting erratically and asking for money to buy gasoline, the Sheriff's Office said.

Giovani Abujalil - Elder Abuse Homicide Suspect
Giovani Abujalil. (Tulare County Sheriff's Office)

The deputies found Abujalil sitting in an SUV. The body of his father, 75-year-old Julio Abujalil, was in the back seat, authorities said.

The older man had "obvious signs of trauma" and a search of the Bakersfield home both men shared turned up evidence linking Abujalil to his father's death, the Sheriff's Office said.

Abujalil remained jailed without bail and it wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

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