Most recently, a four year old boy was being abused. Similarly, Gabriel had two siblings, Ezequiel and Virginia. Additionally, she claims that many of her romantic partners, including Aguirre, were abusive to her. However, they did not receive enough information but provided the family with further resources. The series, which began. The boy Gabriel Fernandez was just 8 years old when he found dead on 24th May 24 2013 due to inflicted injuries he suffered when he was tortured, including a fractured skull, broken ribs and cigarette burns all over his body. [29] Stephanie Rodriguez, a social worker, was assigned to Fernandez's case. Gabriel Fernandez was born on February 20, 2005. Criminal defense attorney Dmitry Gorin, who was not involved in the case, said that his law firm fields calls almost daily concerning resentencing, but that most seeking relief dont qualify for it under state law. If he had wanted to kill Gabriel, he wouldve done it a long time ago. He was born to Arnold Contreras and Pearl Fernandez. Why didnt all these people from welfare, social worker teachers saw that there were something wrong? His bodyweight was of 25Kg. When The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez premiered on Netflix on February 26, viewers weren't prepared for this roller-coaster . Shortly after starting there, her teacher, Jennifer Garcia, felt that things were not right at home. 15 Year Old TikTok Star #20. TRAGIC Gabriel Fernandez died from a series of horror injuries after being shot in the genitals with a gun and battered until his skull felt like "Rice Krispies", a horrified emergency room nurse said. Born on February 20, 2005, in Palmdale, California, Gabriel Fernandez had a difficult family life from the start. He also notes a culture of silence permeating the Department of Child and Family Services. Prosecutors would later charge Rodriguez and three other social workers with child abuse and falsifying records in Gabriels case. The murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez horrified Los Angeles. But in the end, while Aguirre was sentenced to death, and Fernandez received life in prison without the possibility of parole, the social workers escaped punishment. [29] Garcia continued to call the child welfare hotline and was told each time that a social worker would check in on Fernandez. Is it normal for you to bleed? he asked, according to Garcia. The medical examiners said that they have not seen such a condition of a human and that too of a child as there were scars and wounds everywhere on his tender body. [27] The other parties associated were their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt. Gabriel started coming into school with worse injuries, including scabs on his scalp and bruises on his face from BB gun pellets. The unprecedented charges held significant consequences, including up to eleven years in prison. The couple was convicted of Gabriel's murder, and. Likewise, forced to eat his vomit, which burned in various parts of his body. According to the documentary, Rodriguez never adequately made the inquiries needed to determine the condition of Gabriels home life. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com. In October 2012, Aguirre began working as a security guard for AVL Private Security; through AVL he worked at the Vallarta Market in Palmdale, California. Also Read: 'Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' Director Says Production Had Therapist on Call, 5. Morbidology Podcast The article continues below Morbidology is a weekly true crime podcast created and hosted by Emily G. Thompson. This led to concerns over the effectiveness and efficiency of social services in Los Angeles County, and led to four social workers being criminally charged in Los Angeles Superior Court. The murder of Laci Peterson is one of the most heavily-debated murders in U.S. history. After Pearl Fernandez called 911 on May 22, 2013 to report that Gabriel was not breathing, the paramedics who responded found him with broken ribs, a cracked skull and BB pellets stuck in his body . Soon after, police discovered alarming text messages from his girlfriend, Michelle Carter, which seemed to encourage him to kill himself. According to grand jury testimony obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Gabriels siblings said he was forced to eat cat litter and was kept locked in a cabinet in his mothers room. Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old Latino boy, died Friday, May 24, after he was beaten in the 200 block of East Avenue Q-10 in Palmdale, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records. Find out about this case in Gabriel Fernandez's wiki. [7] The abuse and torture extended to Fernandez's siblings, except it was directed more towards Fernandez. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez.. She was admitted to the facility on June 21, 2018. He was just a family member so he had no estimated net worth. During the trial, with tears in eyes, his biological father Arnold Contreras said: I should have been there. [8], On May 22, 2013, Pearl Fernandez called 9-1-1 to report that her child, Gabriel Fernandez, was not breathing. And, this all happened in Antelope Valley where Gabriel Fernandez had died as well. Witness testimony included in the series and court documents show that Fernandez and Aguirre undoubtedly abused Gabriel during the time he was in their care, and eventually tortured him until he stopped breathing. A Shock to the System 47m [6] According to Fernandez's siblings, while Fernandez was being abused, his mother and stepfather would laugh. The case sparked a debate about the effectiveness of the child protection system in California that they would not have done enough to avoid the obvious damage they were suffering. Unsurprisingly, prosecutors sought the death penalty for Gabriels mother and her boyfriend. People say that his mother Pearl Fernandez is a violent lady and she even once attacked her husband with a knife. There were beating marks on his forehead, lips, nose and his eyes were all swollen. Gabriel Fernandez was born on February 20, 2005, in Palmdale, California. Gabriel Fernandez: Age, Parents, Ethnicity, Education, Gabriel Fernandez: Professional life, Career. The Series which is released on Netflix has all the details that how much the child suffered before death. While the official autopsy declared that Gabriels cause of death was due to blunt force trauma coincided with neglect and malnutrition. Nobody listened to Gabriel when he was alive, Knappenberger tells TIME. [27], The social workers were accused of neglecting Fernandez and falsifying public records. She along with her boyfriend named Isauro Aguirre tortured him day and night which killed the innocent child. [31]. In response, Garcia called social services and was later called by social worker Stefanie Rodriguez, informing her that she was assigned to the case. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez enters her guilty plea in the death her son, Gabriel Fernandez, in 2018. It doesnt matter how long ago the crime happened. What kind of a human is the mother? first case involved a young girl who was repeatedly raped by her mother's boyfriend and eventually became pregnant at age 13. Gabriels brother testified that Aguirre would hold him up by the neck, while his sister said Aguirre knocked the air out of Fernandez on several occasions. The department has hired more than 3,000 new social workers since 2013 in an effort to lower caseloads for workers and retrained workers on how to interview witnesses and detect physical injuries, according to the statement. In fact, Isauro told the first responders right away that Gabriel was gay. [29] Garcia reported her concerns to the child welfare hotline. Only to get maintance money.??? Those who. They were equally culpable for that.. And what does that say about us?. During the time they had custody of him, they put out cigarettes on him, shot him in the face with a BB gun, made him eat cat litter and feces, and forced him to sleep in a locked cabinet, often while gagged and bound. His fathers name is Arnold Contreras who has many charges against him used to go to jail quite often. During the trial, jurors were told the autopsy took an unusual two days because the injuries were so substantive. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, February 26. It has been seven years since parental child abuse took the life of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Two social workers, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, and two supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, were fired and charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. [20] In March/April 2021, Aguirre was transferred to Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Knappenberger says that as he further investigated the story, he came to believe the workers had made clear mistakes., The social workers took a lot of heat. Gabriel Fernandez was an 8-year-old boy, the last of three children who suffered severe neglect, and an unbelievable amount of abuse. They said Fernandez and Aguirre called him gay and punished him for exhibiting feminine qualities, like playing with dolls. David Martinez died Tuesday morning from COVID-19 in El Salvador, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami told Oxygen.com on Friday. [22] However, when Gabriel died, Fernandez and Aguirre were both charged with first degree murder with special circumstances of torture; prosecutors pursued the death penalty. The documentary investigates whether Father Joseph Maskell had Sister Cathy killed because she was about to expose him and others for sexually abusing teenage students at Archbishop Keough High School. Gabriel's father, Arnold, was incarcerated at the time. A judge this week rejected a resentencing request by a Palmdale woman who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her 8-year-old-son, who died after months of beatings, starvation and torture, including being forced to eat cat feces and sleep handcuffed in a small wooden drawer. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. However, prosecutors decided that it was more of a motive, and could get a bigger sentence charging the couple with child abuse. The story also delves into how he was able to infiltrate a family and use their weaknesses to his advantage. "Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes" (Netflix). The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez opens with audio of the 911 call and a painful interview with a trauma nurse who tried to save Gabriel's life. At the time she and. When he was arrested after robbing the bank, the bomb went off and killed Wells. Lomeli. Deputy Dist. Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus is nearing a return from a long-term injury after being pictured on the grass. Gabriel died on May 24, 2013, after having suffered years of abuse at the hands of his mother Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend The Staircase follows the trial of Michael Peterson after he reported in December 2001 that his wife had fallen down the stairs and died. In 2007, two ex-convicts entered the Petit family home and tortured the family. But where was the love for her child. They consistently believed the parent over the child with the burn marks and black eye. Gabriel also claimed that he had been shot in the face with a BB gun. In reality, very few people are actually entitled to relief under the new California statutes.. "[13], Currently, Fernandez is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture at Central California Women's Facility. Additionally, the details of Gabriels torture and death are hard to bear and viewers may struggle with certain parts of the mini-series. He died on May 24, 2013. Pearl was 23 when she became pregnant with Gabriel. Atty. The tragic story of Gabriel Fernandez in Netflix's The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez has moved many viewers. In Gabriels case, the four case workers who were supposed to look out for him faced criminal charges after they were fired a rare turn of events for caseworkers, who are not typically charged for failing to prevent abuse. Saturday would've been his 16th birthday. Staff at the facility nicknamed him "Shaggy," which was, according to Weisbarth, a term of endearment. Heartbreaking! Is it normal for you to bleed? he asked, according to Garcia. Moreover, he gained fame after his death due to abuse and torture from his mother and his mother's lover. Moreover, he is also known to be the son of Pearl Fernandez and Arnold Contreras. [28] The first call came in from his teacher (Jennifer Garcia). During Aguirres trial, the jury wasnt unanimous. Under the title The trials of Gabriel Fernandez the documentary depicted the judicial cases carried out in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County against the mother of the child, Pearl Fernandez, his stepfather Isauro Aguirre, and four employees of the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS): Stefanie Rodrguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt. It doesnt matter the age when the child is murdered. Judge Angrily Denounces Gabriels Mother During Sentencing. However, Gabriels well-being took a radical turn in 2012, when Pearl Fernandez reportedly welcomed him to obtain welfare benefits, despite his familys concerns that she was negligent with her other children. Unfortunately, five years later, another boy died under the same circumstances. Earlier Life and Parents He was raised by Pearl Fernandez's parents Robert and Sandra Fernandez. In California, Ezequiel Fernandez took birth in the year 2003 (age 16 years old, as in 2019). The 46-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania was a pizza delivery man who got involved in a bank robbery that included a scavenger hunt and a homemade bomb strapped around his neck. He was an American child just 8 years old. . In 2013, the Los Angeles authorities responded to a 9-1-1 call at Gabriel's family home, where they found his bruised and battered body. 15 Year Old Pisces #6. Here's what you need to know about the crime, and its ongoing effect on L.A. County's criminal justice system. Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old boy in Palmdale, dies two days after being severely beaten. As a result, she abandoned Gabriel at the hospital when he was born. Aguirre was sentenced to death in 2018 following a conviction for first-degree murder with the special circumstance of intentional murder by torture in Gabriels death. Fernandez was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and Aguirre was sentenced to death. [6] According to prosecutors, Aguirre was allegedly motivated to abuse Fernandez because he believed Fernandez was gay. Pearl murdered her 8-year-old son named Gabriel Fernandez. A spokesperson for DCFS said that they did indeed provide services to the family from May 2014 to December 2014 and their last referral was in 2016. He mostly used to wear shorts and a T-shirt. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was convicted of the ruthless murder of her youngest son, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, on June 7, 2018. Gabriel Fernandez was born on February 20, 2005, and he was only eight years old when she died on May 24, 2013. . In the year 2005 (age 8 years, as in 2013), Gabriel Fernandez took birth in a Mexican family. Through interviews with members of Gabriels family, courtroom testimony, and insight from experts on psychology and family relationships, documentarian Brian Knappenberger attempts to answer some key questions: What, exactly, happened to Gabriel, and why didnt anyone step in to save him? He is the 2 nd eldest kid in his family. She has four children with Arnold Contreras, including Gabriel. [11][12][13] During her childhood her father was in and out of jail, and Fernandez has claimed that her mother did not love her and would hit her as a child. The six-episode series looks into the 2013 murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez by his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. The child has 2 siblings named Ezequiel and Virginia. Four social workers charged in connection with his death had charged against them dismissed . In addition, he was born in the year 2003. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Age He has died at the age of 8. On May 24, 2013, Gabriel Fernandez, an eight-year-old boy from Palmdale, California, who had been abused and tortured over a period of months, was murdered by his mother, Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, from whom he had received a beating two days earlier.Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were charged and convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances . When the jury was seeking the death penalty for Aguirre, it was the same juror who voted against it, because he felt they needed to hear Aguirre out., 8. The social workers were accused of minimizing the evidence that Gabriel was abused and of falsely reporting that safety programs for Gabriel were working, when the abuse was only worsening, the documentary shows. The sickening wounds sustained by the brutalized eight-year-old were like nothing doctors had ever seen, leaving medical staff "traumatised". 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