#DC-0051
Jason Zapata
Active · still building data
last updated 16 July 2026 · 1 sources
Confirmed facts
10
Open questions
5
Source count
1
Court status
New trial
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Timeline of what's confirmed10 entries
2014
Riverside County conducted its first Perkins operation, according to a 2024 presentation obtained by CalMatters through a California Public Records Act request and described by The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2015
Jason Zapata was arrested for allegedly firing a gun into the air and was placed in a Riverside County jail cell with two undercover law enforcement agents posing as incarcerated gang members, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP; the allegation was not proof of guilt.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2015
The undercover agents were attempting to obtain information about an unsolved murder from the previous year as part of a Perkins operation, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2015
Court records described by The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP say the two Perkins agents shared a cell with Zapata for three hours and 20 minutes while Riverside County Sheriff's investigator James Dickey monitored the operation in real time.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2015
Court records described by The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP say Dickey had Zapata placed in a lineup and falsely told him that someone had identified him as the shooter.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2015
Court records described by The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP say Zapata invoked his right to legal counsel, Dickey returned him to the cell, and Dickey announced he would be charging Zapata with murder; any charge was an unproven allegation.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
January 2024
Zapata was convicted of murder by a jury and sentenced to 25 years to life; that conviction was later reversed, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2024
Dickey and Riverside County Deputy District Attorney David Tahan delivered a presentation at a Deputy District Attorney Association Homicide Symposium in Santa Rosa and said they had conducted hundreds of Perkins operations throughout California, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
2026
California's 4th District Court of Appeal reversed Zapata's conviction and granted a new trial after ruling that his statements from the Perkins operation should not have been admitted at trial, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP; the precise decision date was not stated in the trusted-source reporting found.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
13 May 2026
The California Supreme Court rejected the Riverside County District Attorney's Office request to throw out the appellate opinion, according to The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP.
The Washington Post/CalMatters/AP
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What is the exact date and docket number of the 4th District Court of Appeal decision reversing Zapata's conviction?unconfirmed in trusted-source reporting found · unconfirmed
When will Zapata be transported from prison to a Riverside County jail?future timing not confirmed · unconfirmed
Has a new trial date been set in Riverside County?not reported in trusted-source results · unconfirmed
What is the current procedural status of the related Perkins-operation challenges before the California Supreme Court?unresolved related litigation · unconfirmed
What evidence, if any, will prosecutors seek to use at any retrial after exclusion of the Perkins-operation statements?not reported in trusted-source results · unconfirmed
🔒
Members get the full evidence view
Source-by-source breakdown, contradictions log, and every update as it lands.
See membership