CAMERON PARK, Calif., Aug. 26, 2025 — A Cal Fire captain made an initial appearance Monday in El Dorado County Superior Court after prosecutors filed five felony counts accusing him of killing his girlfriend and her young son and attempting to kill another child.
The defendant, Darin Blake McFarlin, 47, a captain with Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado unit, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with special-circumstance allegations, one count of attempted murder, one count of corporal injury to a cohabitant and one count of felony child abuse, according to the criminal complaint filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. The complaint says the special-circumstance allegations include that the victims were killed because they were witnesses to another crime.
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According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a report of a shooting about 9 p.m. on Aug. 21 at a home in the 3000 block of Oakwood Road in Cameron Park. Inside, officers found a woman who was pronounced dead at the scene and a boy who later died at a hospital; a second child who lived in the home was found alive. McFarlin was detained in Mono County hours after the shooting and later booked into the El Dorado County Jail.
The coroner has identified the adult victim as Marissa N. Divodi-Lessa, 29, of Shingle Springs; family members have identified the boy as Josiah Divodi-Lessa, a second-grade student at Blue Oak Elementary School. Local officials and school district leaders said counselors would be made available to support students and staff. Community members have started fundraisers for the family.
The criminal complaint filed Aug. 25 lays out specific allegations about what led investigators to the charges. It alleges
McFarlin “inflicted corporal injury” on the adult victim in a bedroom, and that the victim left the room and used her cell phone “before he obtained the gun and went out to the dining room to kill her.”
The complaint also alleges McFarlin personally discharged a firearm and that the offenses carry possible penalties of death or life in prison without parole if the special circumstances are proven.
Cal Fire confirmed it is aware of the arrest and said the agency is monitoring the situation. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office filed the complaint and said the case will move through standard pretrial processes; the DA’s office has scheduled a status hearing and has set a preliminary hearing date.
What’s next: Court documents and local coverage list a status hearing on Sept. 29 and a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 16. Prosecutors and defense counsel will exchange discovery and prepare motions ahead of those dates.
Public safety and resources: Anyone affected by domestic violence or in need of support is encouraged to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (or text START to 88788). Local law enforcement asks anyone with relevant information about the case to contact the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
