A California fire captain has pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend and her 7-year-old son in August 2025 while colleagues fought a nearby wildfire. Darin McFarlin faces sentencing after admitting to the shootings in Cameron Park. Prosecutors cited special allegations including murder to prevent testimony.
Darin McFarlin, 47, a fire captain with the Amador El Dorado unit of CalFire, changed his not guilty plea to guilty last Friday on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and child abuse. The charges stem from the August 2025 shooting deaths of his girlfriend, 29-year-old Marissa N. Divodi-Lessa, and her son, Josiah Divodi-Lessa, 7, at their home in Cameron Park, El Dorado County, roughly 30 miles east of Sacramento. McFarlin also fired at another child in the home, who was uninjured, leading to additional charges with special allegations of multiple murders, murder to prevent testimony, intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury, and corporal injury to a cohabitant. The amended complaint states McFarlin shot Divodi-Lessa as she tried to use her cellphone, alleging she and Josiah were witnesses to a crime and targeted to prevent testimony. Details of that prior crime remain undisclosed. El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies responded around 9 p.m., finding the victims with gunshot wounds; Divodi-Lessa died at the scene, and Josiah at the hospital. McFarlin was arrested hours later. At the time, over 1,000 firefighters, including McFarlin's agency, battled a nearby wildfire. A GoFundMe for the family describes Divodi-Lessa as a loving mother of two and Josiah, called JoJo, as a sweet boy who played games like hide-and-seek. McFarlin is due for sentencing on April 13.