What happened to Gabriel Perez? Details explored ahead of See No Evil on ID
In September 2018, 20-year-old Gabriel Perez was shot and killed outside a McDonald's restaurant in Fargo, North Dakota. The surrounding community was shocked by the early-morning incident, which prompted authorities to immediately start an inquiry. The media widely covered the shooting and the court case that followed.
The case will feature in an episode of See No Evil titled, The Skateboarder, which recreates the crime scene using footage from surveillance cameras. The true-crime episode highlights the investigation process and how officers gathered crucial clues through video evidence to catch the culprit.
See No Evil's episode The Skateboarder is set to air on Investigation Discovery on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 9 pm ET.
All about Gabriel Perez's murder explained
On the morning of September 23, 2018, Gabriel Perez was sitting on the sidewalk outside a McDonald's restaurant in downtown Fargo when a vehicle approached him, as per a report by The Washington Times.
The driver, later identified as Miguel J. Cooley, opened fire, and Perez was shot multiple times. Emergency services arrived quickly, but Perez died at the scene, as per the reports.
The shooting happened at around 5:30 am, when the neighborhood was relatively quiet, as per the outlet. Witnesses heard gunfire and saw a vehicle speed away. Police quickly secured the scene and gathered surveillance footage from nearby stores, as reported by Valley News Live.
Investigators reviewed video footage that showed the suspect's vehicle approaching Perez. The footage provided several key clues that helped identify the vehicle and its owner. Officers then arrested Cooley.
As per a KVRR report, dated January 13, 2020, further investigation revealed a possible motive. According to court documents, Cooley suspected that Perez was having an affair with his wife, which may have led to the violent attack.
The court trial and verdict in Gabriel Perez's murder case
Following his arrest, Miguel J. Cooley was charged with the murder of Gabriel Perez, as reported by KFYR TV, dated August 23, 2019. Cooley pleaded guilty to the charge of intentional homicide in Cass County District Court in August 2019.
Cooley was sentenced to 50 years in jail on January 13, 2020, with 15 years suspended, resulting in a total of 35 years behind bars. According to KVRR, he was also expected to serve ten years of supervised release following the completion of his sentence.
According to the report by Inforum, dated January 31, 2020, an administrative error was later discovered, indicating that the legal limit on the supervised release period had been exceeded. The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation informed prosecutors that the 10-year term was excessive, which was later reduced to five years.
As per the same report, during the sentencing, Perez's family members expressed their dissatisfaction in court, saying the sentence was not sufficient to reflect the severity of the crime. They expressed their pain and loss before the court.
The See No Evil episode The Skateboarder will detail the investigation, showing how law enforcement used technological means like surveillance footage to track down the suspect and solve the case. The episode will air on June 3, 2025, at 9 pm ET, exclusively on Investigation Discovery.
