What happened to Pearl Fernández, the mother of the murdered child?

Topic: What happened to Pearl Fernández, the mother of the murdered child?

Gabriel Fernández, a Latino boy of only 8 years old, was tortured and murdered chillingly. To invite reflection to the whole world, his story has been told through a documentary that is available on Netflix. "The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez" addresses the crime of the minor at the hands of his mother and stepfather, a case that shocked the United States in 2013. In addition, it explores the failures and errors of the kid protection system within the us .

"The trials of Gabriel Fernández," In its translation into Spanish, shows from the same Los Angeles County Superior Court, the trial followed by the child's mother Pearl Fernandez, stepfather Isauro Aguirre and four employees of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS): Stefanie Rodríguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt. Which ultimately led to the conclusion that they were both to blame for what happened that day.

Of this group, what happened to Pearl Fernández? Little Gabriel's mother pleaded guilty to a murder charge, and an indictment added to the case due to the torture suffered by the victim by the accused and her partner. The man received the death penalty in 2018 and Fernández, life imprisonment, without the option of parole; Furthermore, he was denied the possibility of appealing his sentence or filing any other legal claim related to the murder of his son.

That of Gabriel Fernandez has been one case of child abuse that has outraged the community of Southern California and reached the media across the country. However, it is necessary to emphasize that the same documentary explains that it is not the first nor the last time that a child abuse case like that of this little boy has been recounted. Still, thanks to the production directed by Brian Knappenberger, now the world knows this story.

THE JUDGMENT OF PEARL FERNÁNDEZ

When Pearl Fernández and her partner Isauro Aguirre were found and detained, the l. a. prosecution initially requested the execution for both. A grand jury indicted them on murder charges and a special circumstance of torture. However, only Aguirre ended up facing the execution . Why was it different with the woman?

It later emerged that when the trial was taking place, Fernández was evaluated by clinical psychologist Deborah S. Miora, who concluded that she had severely limited intellectual capacity that left her "practically unable to use thought to guide her behavior and moderate her emotional reactions ".

It also came to light that the woman has a depressive disorder, developmental disability, possible personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also claimed that she was abused by her mother and all previous romantic partners, including Aguirre, and raped by several men.

Despite the results of her psychological evaluation and her statements, many members of her family and friends came forward to say that she was the one who abused the child. It was even revealed that he had a domestic violence charge against him.

Five years after her son's death, Pearl Fernández pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and admitted the special circumstances charge of intentional murder by torture. Thus, the woman was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2018. She is currently being held in the Chowchilla State Prison for Women, a city located in Madera County in the US state of California.

The fact that he admitted to having committed an intentional murder was crucial to save himself from death, since the main argument of Aguirre's lawyer was that he was not guilty, or at least not guilty of what they claimed he was, because, although he committed these heinous acts, it was not with the intention of murder.

Before being sentenced, Pearl Fernández declared: "Every day, I wish I made better decisions. I wish I had saved Gabriel."

WHAT ROLE DID PEARL FERNÁNDEZ PLAY IN THE MURDER OF YOUR SON?

On May 22, 2013, the date that little Gabriel's body was found, Fernández called 911 to report an incident; in the communication, he stated that his son had hit his head on a dressing table. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they found him unconscious, but they also discovered that his skull was cracked, he had three broken ribs, his teeth were beaten with a bat, and his lungs and groin were seriously injured by pellets.

Eight-year-old Gabriel Fernández was declared brain dead and died two days later.

While he does not know exactly what role the mother played the night, little Gabrielito was tortured. Although she pleaded guilty to having a role in the tortuous actions that resulted in his death, more abuses came to light that was attributed to him and not to her during Aguirre's trial.

It was revealed, for example, that Aguirre tied, spanked, and gagged Gabriel and forced him to eat cat litter and feces. And that Fernández was aware of what happened; In addition, they frequently spoke via text messages about what they put the child through.

WHAT ABOUT GABRIEL FERNÁNDEZ'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER?

Arnold Contreras and Pearl FernándezThey are the biological parents of little Gabriel Fernández. The couple separated, and the child's mother had another relationship, sometime later, with Isauro Aguirre.

The child's biological father took the stand during Isauro's sentencing trial. Arnaldo José Contreras spoke affectionately of his deceased son and said that Pearl never liked the boy and understood that Gabriel would live with his maternal grandparents.

When Gabriel died, Contreras was in prison, serving time in the Riverside County Jail, in 2013—testifying that he often had trouble sleeping due to the brutality of his son's death.

Arnold was also among the parties to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the public school district, Pearl and Isauro, and three different county departments.

WHERE IS ARNOLD CONTRERAS NOW?

Following the brutal death of his son, Arnold Contreras appears to possess tried to maneuver on together with his life. Through social networks, we will determine where the child's father is currently, Gabriel Fernandez. His Facebook profile indicates that he's a resident of Pacoima, California. Contreras shows many photos with Gabriel on the social network, where the boy are often seen smiling. the daddy keeps the memory of his little son present. Arnold, whose profile indicates that he's single, appears to figure during a tattoo and piercing parlor. Many of the pictures on her profile are about available discounts, and other photos feature her artwork prominently.

So, where is he currently? It appears that Arnold continues to possess problems with the law and therefore the prison system. consistent with information from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of California, on February 11, 2019, he was admitted to the Calipatria prison for a non-violent crime. Additionally, he has been eligible for parole since June 2019.

Gabriel's biological father leads a troubled life, as he always has, with periods in prison. However, she copes with the painful loss of her son.

WHO WAS GABRIEL FERNÁNDEZ?

By all accounts, the interviews within the series and therefore the news after his death, Gabriel Fernández was, like most youngsters , a sweet boy who liked to be useful and sought the love of his family. Before occupation together with his mother, Pearl Fernández, her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, and two brothers in Palmdale, north of l. a. , the small boy lived from time to time between the homes of his relatives.

As the documentary describes, before occupation together with his mother, Gabriel lived with an uncle and his partner for a short time then moved in together with his grandparents. Pictures from his time together with his uncles show a seemingly happy and healthy boy.

However, the child's well-being took a radical turn in 2012, when Pearl Fernández took him in, reportedly for benefits. However, the remainder of her family had already shown concern for her as they considered her to be negligent together with her other children.

After joining his mother and partner, Gabriel Fernández received a replacement school. Soon after starting there, her teacher, Jennifer Garcia, felt things weren't right. García, who appears throughout the six-part series, reveals that a couple of days after entering his classroom, the small boy asked him a question: "Is it normal for mothers to hit their children?" Then came a more troubling revelation: Gabriel asked if it had been normal to be hit with a buckle . "Is it normal for you to bleed?"

THE ABUSE AND ABUSE GABRIEL FERNÁNDEZ SUFFERED

During the court hearings against the defendants, it had been revealed that the boy was the victim of a horrifying list of physical abuse.

The series begins with an ER nurse who tried desperately to save lots of Gabriel Fernández, revealing through tears what she witnessed when he was taken to the hospital. "He had a depressed skull fracture, which suggests you'll feel his skull ..." he says.

"He was dented, and you'll feel… love it was crunchy on his head. I remember that his throat seemed like someone had burned it—bruises and cuts everywhere the face. Black eyes, cuts everywhere... Only in each a part of his body, there was something, "he explains.

"He had pellets in his lung and groin, cigarette burns, they put out cigarettes in him (...). I remember that night i assumed I couldn't understand this, how it came to the present (...). there's such a lot trauma, such a lot damage, then many questions," he added.

The minor arrives after the emergency out in a house in Palmdale, a city in l. a. County about 100 kilometers north of the capital. There a family claimed an unconscious child, but what appeared like a involve help thanks to an accident led to a high-profile case of abuse and murder of a minor.

GABRIEL TOLD OF HIS AGGRESSIONS

The Netflix documentary tells how the Department of youngsters and Family Services ignored the days they were warned that the kid was being abused and proof of this is often the complaint made by the teacher of the tiny Gabriel Fernández.

The teacher said that a couple of days after entering class, the small one asked her a question: "Is it normal for mothers to hit their children?" But that was only the start . Soon Gabriel had a more troubling concern. He asked if it had been normal to be hit with a buckle . "Is it normal for you to bleed?"

However, albeit the l. a. County maltreatment Hotline was alerted to the case, nothing was done.

NOT THE POLICE BELIEVED HIM

The system failed Gabriel Fernandez. additionally to the Department of youngsters and Family Services, the police also dismissed his case and even accused him of lying. consistent with Gabriel's great-aunt, Elizabeth Carranza, "DCFS workers, sheriffs, as repeatedly as they were out and called, they ignored him. i feel it had been 3 times that we called the social workers and twice that we spoke to the sheriffs. Later, once I heard that the bailiffs had begin and threatened Gabriel as if he kept lying about things. "

"I think Pearl had told the sheriffs that some older kids had beaten him up, and that is why she had marks on him. which wasn't true. The bailiffs put him within the back of the car, and that i told him that if he kept lying about things, he would be the one who would attend jail, "added the minor's grandmother.

WHO IS ISAURO AGUIRRE?

Isauro Aguirre is a former security guard who started working for AVL Private Security, a cybersecurity company, in October 2012. According to the producer of the documentary series "The Trial of Gabriel Fernández," Through this company, Aguirre worked in security in the Vallarta market in Palmdale.

Before working as a security guard, Aguirre worked at Woodland Park Retirement Hotel as a caretaker and driver. Susan Weisbarth, his former boss at the company, testified for Isauro Aguirre's trial in 2018. "He was quiet; he was a kind person with his feet on the ground, always ready to help," he told the producers of the Serie.

Also, former co-workers of Weisbarth and Aguirre called him by the nickname 'Shaggy'. In the series, the relatives of Gabriel referred to Aguirre with the nickname of 'Tony'.

On the other hand, Sherline Miller, a former co-worker at the Woodland Park Retirement Hotel, testified that when Aguirre was transporting residents, she often suggested taking them along a scenic route to enjoy views that were more picturesque than just a highway.

However, despite hearing all the testimonies, the prosecution concluded in a much less comprehensive version of Isauro Aguirre.

Los Angeles Deputy DA Jon Hatami argued that Aguirre, who was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 270 pounds, tortured and humiliated the 60-pound boy because he suspected him being gay. According to KTLA, Aguirre enjoyed abusing the boy.

WHEN BE WILL, ISAURO AGUIRRE EXECUTED?

On June 13, 2018, Isauro Aguirre was sentenced to death for the murder of Gabriel Fernández. The 39-year-old Palmdale native was admitted to San Quentin State Prison the same day. Although until these days, it has not been announced when the date of his execution will be.

It should be noted that Aguirre is in a prison that houses 700 inmates sentenced to death. And, according to ABC7, it could take decades for Isauro Aguirre to be executed.