CAMERON PARK, Calif. — A former captain with Cal Fire has pleaded guilty to the killings of his girlfriend and her young son in a 2025 domestic violence attack that shook the Cameron Park community.
Darin Blake McFarlin, 47, entered the plea March 13 in El Dorado County Superior Court, admitting to two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder.
Prosecutors said McFarlin killed Marissa Herzog, also known as Marissa Divodi-Lessa, 29, and her 7-year-old son, Josiah, on the night of Aug. 21, 2025, inside the Oakwood Road home they shared in Cameron Park. Josiah was a second-grade student at the time of his death.
According to court records, McFarlin attacked Herzog in a bedroom before she fled to the dining room and attempted to call for help on her cellphone. Authorities said McFarlin retrieved a firearm and shot her. Prosecutors alleged he then killed the child because he witnessed the attack.
A second child, identified in court as J. Doe, was present during the violence and survived. The attempted murder charge stems from that child’s presence during the incident.
“The defendant’s actions reflect calculated violence and a deliberate effort to silence witnesses,” prosecutors stated in court filings outlining the special circumstances, including premeditation and killing to prevent testimony.
McFarlin, a veteran firefighter who had served with Cal Fire since 2000 in the Amador-El Dorado unit, was placed on unpaid administrative leave following his arrest.
After the killings, authorities said McFarlin fled El Dorado County. He was located the following morning, Aug. 22, 2025, by deputies in Mono County along U.S. Highway 395 near Bridgeport, where he was taken into custody without incident.
By pleading guilty, McFarlin avoids a trial but remains subject to the most severe penalties under California law. He faces a maximum sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole due to the special circumstance allegations.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2026, at 1 p.m. in El Dorado County Superior Court.
The case has drawn sustained attention across El Dorado County, both for the brutality of the crime and the defendant’s role as a longtime public safety official.
