Fire captain who gunned down girlfriend and young son in front of victim's daughter during argument over firefighter movie learns his fate

A 47-year-old erstwhile occurrence skipper successful California volition walk the remainder of his beingness down bars for killing his fiancee and her 7-year-old lad during an statement implicit however a firefighter was being portrayed successful the movie they were watching.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Mark A. Ralphs connected Monday ordered Darin McFarlin to service 2 consecutive beingness sentences without the anticipation of parole, on with an further beingness term, 50 years to life, and 15 years for the August 2025 murders of 29-year-old Marissa Divodi-Lessa and her son, Josiah Divodi-Lessa, authorities announced.

As Law&Crime previously reported, McFarlin successful March pleaded blameworthy to aggregate charges, including 2 counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and kid abuse.

According to a quality merchandise from the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, Ralphs handed down the condemnation earlier a packed courtroom, wherever 7 "powerful and emotional" unfortunate interaction statements were read, including a missive from Divodi-Lessa's 9-year-old surviving child. A slideshow tribute honoring the victims was besides presented.

Prosecutors said McFarlin — a Cal Fire skipper who was "highly focused connected his image" — carried retired the killings wrong the family's location aft an statement escalated into violence.

According to the territory attorney's quality release, the killings took spot connected Aug. 21, 2025.

"The household sat down unneurotic to ticker a movie astir a distinguished, well-respected firefighter who was struggling successful his idiosyncratic life," the merchandise states. "McFarlin became aggravated astatine the portrayal and stormed disconnected to his room. When Divodi-Lessa followed him, an statement took place. McFarlin past strangled her."

Chief Assistant District Attorney Lisette Suder said the household was watching the faith-based play movie "Fireproof," The Sacramento Bee reported. The archetypal fractional of the movie negatively portrays the protagonist, a firefighter, arsenic being selfish successful his marriage. The mates was reportedly arguing due to the fact that McFarlin demanded that Divodi-Lessa admit that the woman successful the movie was the 1 astatine fault, not the firefighter.

Divodi-Lessa was capable to interruption distant and fly the bedroom, telling McFarlin she was going to telephone the constabulary to study the home violence.

"Knowing his vocation would beryllium implicit if the incidental were reported, McFarlin retrieved a loaded firearm and followed her into the eating area, wherever helium recovered her connected the telephone with a household member," the merchandise continued. "He struck her implicit the caput with the firearm, checked the phone, and past changeable her successful the head, portion her 7-year-old lad and 9-year-old girl were successful the room. He past turned the weapon connected the young lad and fired, sidesplitting him."

The 9-year-old "begged for her life" arsenic McFarlin pointed the limb astatine her, but she managed to flight his enactment of show and fly done a canine door.

McFarlin fled the country aft placing his telephone successful airplane mode and was aboriginal arrested successful Nevada.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Lisette Suder told the tribunal that McFarlin was not a leader contempt his profession, emphasizing alternatively the archetypal responders and investigators who brought the lawsuit to justice. District Attorney Vern Pierson called the killings "a horrific and senseless enactment of violence" that everlastingly changed the victims' family.

According to tribunal documents cited successful that anterior coverage, prosecutors alleged McFarlin killed some victims "to forestall testimony," arsenic they were witnesses to an earlier incidental wrong the home. Authorities person not publically elaborate what prompted that allegation.

Investigators said deputies responded to the location astir 9 p.m. connected the nighttime of the shooting and recovered some victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Divodi-Lessa was pronounced dormant astatine the scene, portion her lad was transported to a hospital, wherever helium aboriginal died.

McFarlin was identified arsenic a fishy and taken into custody hours later.

At the clip of the killings, McFarlin was moving arsenic a occurrence skipper with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and was portion of a broader firefighting effect to a adjacent wildfire.

Prosecutors said the condemnation ensures McFarlin volition ne'er again person the accidental to harm anyone, portion acknowledging the lasting interaction connected the surviving kid and the victims' loved ones.