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Murder of Anthony Avalos

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Murder of Anthony Avalos
LocationLancaster, California, U.S.
DateJune 21, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-06-21)
Attack type
Child murder by beating, torture murder, child abuse, child neglect
PerpetratorsHeather Barron
Kareem Leiva
MotiveHomophobia
ChargesFirst-degree murder with special circumstances of torture

Anthony Avalos (May 4, 2008 – June 21, 2018) was a ten-year-old American boy who was tortured and killed after being beaten and suffering internal bleeding. When his body was discovered, it showed signs of physical abuse and malnutrition. His mother, Heather Barron, and her boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, were charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture.[1]

According to Sheriff Jim McDonnell, the arrest of Leiva was made after he made suspicious comments during an initial police interview.[1]

Background

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The deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Brandon Nichols, stated that Avalos had recently told his mother, "he liked boys and girls.”[2]

In the aftermath of Avalos' death, several of his relatives revealed that Barron and Leiva had demonstrated repeated evidence of their intense homophobia. Barron called Avalos a “faggot” in front of relatives, and Leiva admitted that he did not feel comfortable being in near proximity to homosexuals.[3]

Abuse

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During his autopsy, Avalos's body showed clear signs of sustained abuse. He had bruises and burns all over his body, and he was extremely malnourished.[4] According to court testimony, Avalos's aunt, Crystal Diuguid, divulged to her therapist that Avalos's mother was beating, starving, and locking him for hours in a room without any access to the bathroom.[4] He was six years old at the time. The therapist called a child abuse hotline to report the abuse.[4]

Caseworkers responded to 13 complaints of abuse regarding Avalos between February 2013 and April 2016, including sexual abuse when he was four years old.[1]

In a statement, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami said: "There were injuries to Anthony's side and his hip area, both his left hip and his right hip, and his arms, and even injuries to his feet."[5] In another statement, he said, "At one point Anthony could not walk, was unconscious lying on his bedroom floor for hours, was not provided medical attention, and could not eat on his own."[6]

Over the last few days of his life, Avalos was tortured repeatedly. He was whipped all over his body, was held upside-down and dropped on his head, sprayed with hot sauce in his eyes, nose, and mouth, and forced to kneel on rice for several hours.

A 911 call was made one day before Avalos was murdered.[7]

Department of Child and Family Services

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For more than four years, from 2013 to 2017, Anthony had been under the supervision of the Los Angeles DCFS.[4] In that period of time, at least 13 known calls (by teachers, counselors, relatives, and police) were made to the child abuse hotline regarding Anthony's welfare.[4] DCFS followed up eight times.[8]

According to a review by CBS News of released documents from DCFS, records from Maximus Inc., court records, and interviews from family and relatives, child protective workers missed numerous warnings of life-threatening abuse and repeatedly failed to intervene.[4]

Charges

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On August 28, 2019, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it was seeking the death penalty against both Barron and Leiva.[9][10] Both pled not guilty to intentional first-degree murder with the special circumstance of infliction of torture on the victim.[11] In addition to the murder with special circumstances charge, Barron was charged with an additional abuse charge of one of her other sons.[12] The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office under District Attorney George Gascón subsequently dropped the death penalty option for both Barron and Leiva.[13][14] On March 7, 2023, Barron and Leiva were found guilty.[15] On April 25, 2023, they were sentenced to life in prison without parole.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ramgopal, Kit; Roberts, Karin (June 28, 2018). "Man charged with killing boy, 10, who reportedly came out as gay". NBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. ^ "DCFS: Lancaster Boy Said 'He Liked Boys And Girls' Before His Death". CBS Los Angeles. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ Ramgopal, Kit (8 July 2018). "Death of Anthony Avalos has parallels to another child abuse case in L.A." NBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Therolf, Garrett (4 September 2019). "The horrific death of Anthony Avalos and the many missed chances to save him". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  5. ^ Stuelp, Vania (5 December 2018). "Lancaster abuse case: Unsealed grand jury transcripts detail horrific torture of Anthony Avalos". ABC7.
  6. ^ Soen, Hayley (2020-03-06). "The untold stories of the two other boys in the Gabriel Fernandez Netflix doc". The Tab. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. ^ "Lancaster abuse case: 911 call made day before boy died released". ABC7. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  8. ^ Staff, Crimesider (26 June 2018). "L.A. agency received 13 calls about boy before his suspicious death". CBS News. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty in Anthony Avalos Case". KTLA 5. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Lancaster abuse case: DA to seek death penalty for mother, boyfriend". ABC7. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  11. ^ Bloom, Tracy (28 August 2019). "Death Penalty Sought Against Mother, Her Boyfriend in Torture Killing of Anthony Avalos: DA's Office". KTLA5. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ^ Staff, City News Service (3 October 2018). "Tragic Death of Anthony Avalos: Mom, Boyfriend Could Face Death Penalty". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Anthony Avalos case: DA George Gascón takes death penalty off table in child torture, murder trial". 6 May 2021.
  14. ^ "'They Should be Punished': Gascón Drops Bid for Death Penalty in 10-Year-Old Anthony Avalos' Killing".
  15. ^ "Anthony Avalos: Mom, boyfriend found guilty in 'monstrous' killing of 10-year-old boy". Fox 11 Los Angeles. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Mother of Anthony Avalos, Boyfriend Sentenced to Life in Prison in 10-Year-Old Boy's Torture, Murder". NBC Los Angeles. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Anthony Avalos torture-murder case: Mother, boyfriend sentenced to life in prison without parole". CBS News. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
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