TRIGGER WARNING***THIS CASE IS VERY EMOTIONAL AND IS FILLED WITH CHILD ABUSE, STARVATION, DETAILED BEATINGS, ETC. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.
Gabriel was like most other children. All he ever wanted was the love of his family and the attention he craved to know he was good enough. Before moving in with his mother, Pearl Fernandez, her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, and two siblings in Palmdale, located north of Los Angeles, Gabriel was shuffled between the homes of his relatives. Gabriel lived with an uncle and his partner for a time, and also lived with his grandparents before going to live with his mother. Footage from the Netflix documentary of his time with his uncles, shows an apparently happy and healthy child. Gabriel’s well-being took a devastating turn in 2012, when Pearl Fernandez took him in, reportedly to gain welfare benefits, despite concerns from her family that she was neglectful toward her other children.
8 Months. That is how long it took to systematically torture, starve, and abuse this precious boy until his little body gave out and he went to Heaven. This next part will be very graphic and detailed so PLEASE STOP READING HERE if do not want to know the extent of the abuse Gabriel endured. Throughout the 8 months, he was repeatedly tortured and was beaten until he had broken bones. He was forced to eat cat litter, his own feces, and then his own vomit. All while being locked in a very small cupboard. He was often burned with cigarettes and shot in his private areas with a BB gun. The amount of anger and hatred I feel for his mother and her boyfriend has surpassed any anger I have felt in a case thus far. Did I mention that he was bound and gagged in the cupboard? Or that his teeth were knocked out with a bat? You know what hurts me the most for Gabriel? The fact that his mom and piece of shit "step dad" would laugh while these things were being done to him. It was like a fucking game they would play for no reason! His siblings even testified in court to that. Sick fucking people. And yes, the siblings were beaten as well, but never to the extent that Gabiel was. You know why? Because the "step father" ( piece of shit human), felt like Gabriel may be gay. FUCKING SERIOUSLY???? YOU FED THIS CHILD CAT LITTER AND THEN MADE HIM EAT HIS VOMIT BECAUSE HE "THOUGHT HE COULD BE GAY"? I am so pissed and I am so heartbroken.
On May 22nd 2013, Pearl or as I call her" The Egg Donor" called the police to say that Gabiel was not currently breathing. Apparently, Gabriel was beaten half to death because he didn't pick up his toys in a timely fashion. If anyone believes that this child had any toys, you're an idiot. When paramedics got to Gabriel, he was covered in bruises and laying naked on the floor. You know what the boyfriend said to the paramedics??? Take a guess....He said that Gabiel is gay. AGAIN, ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS??????? This child is dying from the beating YOU gave him and that was the first thing that came to your disgusting mind? Of course it did. Sick Fuck.
Gabriel died two days later on May 24th. He was brain dead and his autopsy concluded that he died from blunt force trauma, malnutrition, and neglect. How angry are you reading this right now? How much do you want to get up and figure out a way to put an end to this suffering for children?? I know I do. This cannot continue!!
On May 23, 2013, Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were arrested; Fernandez was arrested for felony child endangerment while Aguirre was arrested for attempted murder, However, when Gabriel died, Fernandez and Aguirre were both charged with first degree murder with special circumstances of torture; prosecutors pursued the death penalty.
Pearl Fernandez pled guilty on February 15, 2018, to her charge as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In court, she stated, "I want to say I'm sorry for what happened. I wish Gabriel was alive. Every day I wish that I would have made better choices. I'm sorry to my children, and I want them to know that I love them." Sit down and shut the fuck up! You didn't give a shit about no one but yourself! How dare you pretend to care about Gabiel or any of your kids for that matter!
Isauro Aguirre pleaded not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture, and the case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami and Deputy District Attorney Scott Yang. When you watch the documentary on Netflix, I wanted to hug and kiss them both at the end. They worked hard and they got justice for Gabriel. I would love to meet them someday.
In September 2017, jury selection began for the case. Questionnaires were given to prospective jurors, and they were informed that the trial could last as long as six weeks. Additionally, they were told the trial involved "extensive internal and external injuries" of the victim. The jury composition was seven women and five men. Didn't really matter, he was fucked anyway......but I digress. (sipping my coffee to calm down a moment)
When the trial began, jurors were given details about the extensive abuse Gabriel Fernandez went through in the months preceding his fatal beating. Prosecutor Jon Hatami called Aguirre "pure evil" and argued that he deserved the death penalty even though it "doesn't even compare to what he did to Gabriel." Agreed.
Defense attorney John Alan argued that Aguirre was considered to be "kind" and "compassionate" during his employment at the retirement facility and that he had never committed a crime before meeting Pearl Fernandez. First of all, how the hell did this man get a job working with the elderly?? KIND? IN what way? By the fact that he allowed Gabriel to live a horrific 8 months before he was KIND enough to kill him!!! I hope that defense attorney never gets a night of restful sleep in his miserable life.
Jury deliberation began on November 14, 2017, and a verdict was reached the next afternoon. Ultimately, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and guilty of the circumstances of torture charges. On December 11, 2017 jury deliberation began for the sentencing phase. The next day the jury was deadlocked; however, on December 13, they rendered a verdict of death, which was accepted by Judge George G. Lomeli. DEATH! THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT GABRIEL WENT THROUGH. I hope you become someone's play toy in the pen. I hope your homophobic tendencies come back to haunt you.....
The social workers associated with the Gabriel Fernandez case were Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement. The other parties associated were their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt.
Here is where my disdain and disgust come in for these social workers not doing anything!
The social workers were accused of neglecting Fernandez and falsifying public records. Calls regarding child abuse concerns began to occur between the years of 2012 and 2013. The first call came in from his teacher, Jennifer. Jennifer broke my heart in the Netflix documentary because she tried so hard to help him and no one took her seriously enough.
Jennifer Garcia's concern started when Fernandez first asked her concerning questions regarding being whipped. Garcia reported her concerns to the child welfare hotline. Stephanie Rodriguez, a social worker, was assigned to Fernandez's case. Garcia continued to see signs of child abuse such as a fat lip, pieces of hair missing. Gabriel also claimed that he had been shot in the face with a BB gun. Garcia continued to call the child welfare hotline and was told each time that a social worker would check in on Fernandez. NO ONE EVER TOOK HIM TO A HOSPITAL OR FACILITY! Every time a social worker would go to Fernandez's household, she never talked directly to Fernandez and would only talk to his mother. Hey dummy, RED FLAG!
According to legal scholar Charlotte Hinkamp, there was sufficient evidence of child abuse and it was surprising that the Department of Children and Family Services did not remove Fernandez from his home.
The four social workers were charged with two different felonies: child abuse and falsifying public records. However, charges were dropped in 2020 as justices in the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled that failure to uphold their duties and failure to remove Fernandez from his abusers did not constitute criminal liability for child abuse.
Gabriel, I am sorry that you ended up with the sorry excuse for a mother like that. I am sorry that she didn't love you enough to keep a man from hurting you. I am sorry you were beaten and starved. As I am writing this the tears are welling in my eyes just as they did when I watched the documentary. You were such a precious boy who deserved all the love and attention you could ever imagine. Now you're in the arms of people who love you, a God that created you, and other children that were also mistreated. Make friends sweet boy. Don't be afraid to allow mommies who are there with you to love you like they do their own children. So many mommies went to Heaven and because their children are still here on Earth. All mommies and daddies aren't bad my precious. Rest in the most beautiful paradise. Your family misses and loves you so much. Your name will never be forgotten.
Please, if you are experiencing child abuse yourself or know a child that is, please call: National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-Child (422-4453)
Sources:
The Trial of Gabriel Fernandez-Netflix
Wikipedia- Murder of Gabriel Fernandez
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