Posted: Nov 24, 2020 / 11:35 AM PST. However, they did not receive enough information but provided the family with further resources. The murderer couple used to shoot with a BB gun on Gabriels private parts. They continued to raise Fernandez for four years. Both her and Isauro Aguirre did that. [6] According to prosecutors, Aguirre was allegedly motivated to abuse Fernandez because he believed Fernandez was gay. Twitter Gabriel Fernandez was just eight years old when he died after being beaten by his mom and her boyfriend. Find out about this case in Gabriel Fernandez's wiki. This documentary examines the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of soccer coach and ex-boyfriend of Garrett's mother, Tandy Cyrus. 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. The series includes a sizable amount of research on ways to combat child abuse, and details how child protective systems often fail because of a lack of transparency. Garcia, who appears throughout the six-part series, says that a couple of weeks after he started in her classroom, Gabriel asked: Is it normal for mothers to beat their children? When she pressed him, Gabriel asked if it was normal to be hit with a belt buckle. A 2018 investigation into Gabriels case published in The Atlantic by the journalist Garrett Therolf, who also appears throughout the series, cites L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) records to show that Rodriguez never received information that showed Pearl Fernandez had a history of abusing or neglecting her other children. When the dead body of the child got examined, the doctors said that wounds were severe than on the body of a war prisoner. There were beating marks on his forehead, lips, nose and his eyes were all swollen. He was an American child just 8 years old. 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. Is it normal for you to bleed? he asked, according to Garcia. Also Read: 'Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' Director Says Production Had Therapist on Call, 5. So, it was the year of 2012. So they naturally believe their family members are eligible to be released from prison, he said. Her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 40, was sentenced to . Additionally, she claims that many of her romantic partners, including Aguirre, were abusive to her. It also shows how the legal system failed to save the life of a vulnerable child. In reality, very few people are actually entitled to relief under the new California statutes.. Following a media frenzy, her husband, Scott, became a prime suspect. But they also brought charges against four social workers, something that had never happened before. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez enters her guilty plea in the death her son, Gabriel Fernandez, in 2018. Magazines, Digital The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is a limited series that premiered on Netflix in 2020. He lived with his grandparents until 2012, when his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, regained physical custody of him[4] despite concerns for his welfare expressed by the family. Between 2005 and 2012, sixty complaints were filed against Pearl Fernandez and Aguirre to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. The next day the jury was deadlocked; however, on December 13, they rendered a verdict of death, which was accepted by Judge George G. [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. [29] However, there was never a medical follow up and every time a social worker would go to Fernandez's household, she never talked directly to Fernandez and would only talk to his mother. Its a case from back in 2013 traumatized Los Angeles completely and even caused outrage in the community and questioned the child protection authorities presented in a Netflix documentary. He passed away two days later on May 24, 2013, at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. 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. PALMDALE, Calif. -- This weekend marks seven years since parental child abuse took the life of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. His case demonstrates how child abuse in children is administered. Soon after, police discovered alarming text messages from his girlfriend, Michelle Carter, which seemed to encourage him to kill himself. In the year 2018 Gabriels mother Pearl Fernandez found guilty of a First Degree murder and got sentenced to death by the court. Likely, he had two siblings named Ezequiel and Virginia. Gabriel started coming into school with worse injuries, including scabs on his scalp and bruises on his face from BB gun pellets. 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. Every day I wish that I would have made better choices. Just last month, by a 2-1 decision Californias second appeals court threw out the case on the grounds that prosecutors did not prove the social workers had the requisite duty to control the abusers, and further concluded they did not have care or custody of Gabriel.. Arnold Contreras is the father in all cases. An Update On What's Happened To Gabriel Fernandez's Mom Since The Documentary", "Isauro Aguirre Wiki: Facts about Pearl Fernandez's Boyfriend Who Abused Gabriel Fernandez", "Isauro Aguirre, Gabriel Fernandez's Murderer: 5 Fast Facts", "Who Is Isauro Aguirre, The Man Who Murdered 8-Year-Old Gabriel Fernandez? Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, another social worker, along with their supervisors, Gregory Merritt and Kevin Bom, were charged with felony counts of child abuse and falsifying public records. Gabriel Daniel Fernandez[1] was born on February 20, 2005, to Arnold Contreras and Pearl Fernandez. David Martinez died Tuesday morning from COVID-19 in El Salvador, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami told Oxygen.com on Friday. An appellate panel ruled in January 2020 that the workers should not face criminal charges in Gabriels death. The screenplay examines the ways in which the system of Golden Age Hollywood exploited the likes of Judy Garland . Saturday would've been his 16th birthday. Here's what happened to Gabriel Fernandez's siblings after the end of six-part Netflix docuseries The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. [9][10], Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was born on August 29, 1983, to Robert and Sandra Fernandez. Investigators found all of Gabriels clothing disposed of, except for two dresses that he was made to wear. The Brazilian star has been out for three months with a knee knock, his last game being . His . Heres what to know about the true story behind the series, out on Netflix on Feb. 26. Evidence-wise, Pearl Fernandez tortured and killed Gabriel, he said. Cherie Kiyomura, a family friend who helped organize a rally that attracted dozens outside the courtroom, said shes endured an emotional roller coaster. Gabriel was taken to the hospital and later declared brain-dead. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, the documentary details the murder of Gabriel Fernandez and subsequent responses by the media and local government. In 2009, four-year-old Gabriel moved in with his grandparents, due to his grandfather's objection to Carranza's and Martinez's same-sex relationship. For Knappenberger, the story began coming together after he received permission to film Aguirres murder trial and had a chance to hear firsthand testimony from witnesses about how Gabriel was abused. 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. Because of this, there were talks about charging the couple with a hate crime. They failed! In the documentary, one paramedic who arrived at the scene says Gabriels case was the worst she ever encountered in her career. The mother of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and her boyfriend . 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. Shortly after birth, he was put in the custody of his great-uncle on his mother's side, Michael Lemos Carranza, and his partner David Martinez. The couple was convicted of Gabriel's murder, and. In 2011, Fernandez took a cognitive ability test, scoring in the 3rd percentile in the verbal comprehension portion of the test, which is on par with a typical 2nd-grade student. 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. Unfortunately, five years later, another boy died under the same circumstances. She gave him Away from the start, she shouldnt have gotten him back. To some degree, its warranted, he says. Inexplicably, there was blood in the sink. Her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre also got penalized for a death-sentenced as he was also actively involved in torturing the child. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, 37, was sentenced to life in prison without parole three years ago for her role in Gabriel Fernandez's 2013 murder. Garcia, who appears throughout the six-part series, says that a couple weeks after he started in her classroom, Gabriel asked her, Is it normal for moms to hit their kids? When she pressed him, Gabriel asked if it was normal to be hit with a belt buckle. Gabriel died on May 24, 2013, after having suffered years of abuse at the hands of his mother Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend It doesnt matter the age when the child is murdered. She is currently kept at Chowchilla State Womens Prison. 15 Year Old TikTok Star #20. The recent Netflix documentary, "The Trials of Gabriel Fern. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is a thorough and heartbreaking examination of the systemic forces that allow child abuse to flourish undetected in the United States. And when they did, according to family members, they threatened Gabriel, and told him that if he kept lying about his bruises, that hed be the one to go to jail. Gabriel Fernandez is 4 ft 0 in tall in height and his weight is 32 kg. The thymus gland was barely there a normal boys gland weighs about 100 grams, while Fernandezs was about 10 grams. Upon his death on May 24, 2013, Gabriel was 8 years old. In fact, law enforcement often (there were multiple house calls) took Pearl Fernandezs word that everything was fine, and never even asked to see Gabriel. 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. The family of Gabriel Fernandez released butterflies nearly eight years after his death, caused by child abuse. Trending; . 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. He pled not guilty; however, the jury found him guilty and recommended he be sentenced to death, which was accepted by Superior Court Judge George G. Gabriel Daniel Fernandez was born on 20 February 2005, he passed away at the age of 8. 11 found him guilty, while one man didnt believe he should be convicted of first-degree murder. [19] He was admitted to San Quentin State Prison on June 13, 2018, awaiting execution. She was admitted to the facility on June 21, 2018. The Staircase follows the trial of Michael Peterson after he reported in December 2001 that his wife had fallen down the stairs and died. They used to live together and Gabriel was also living with them. Magazines, Capture a Year of Painand Resiliencein Ukraine, Or create a free account to access more articles, The Heartbreaking Story Behind Netflix's Documentary Series. During the trial, with tears in eyes, his biological father Arnold Contreras said: I should have been there. Why didnt all these people from welfare, social worker teachers saw that there were something wrong? 1. Janet Mock: How Television Can Be a Force for Political Change, What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. 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. Here Are 14 Other True-Crime Docs You Should Watch (Photos), Journalist Behind Netflix's 'The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' on 'Trauma' of Reporting on Child's Murder, 'Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' Director Says Production Had Therapist on Call, was sentenced to death, and Fernandez received life in prison, Californias second appeals court threw out the case, Several Chinese Exhibitors Will Not Attend CinemaCon Due to Coronavirus. The ordeal ended with rape, arson and a triple homicide. According to the LA Countys they tortured every portion of his body and there were cuts everywhere on his body. Further, Fernandezs siblings explained that while Fernandez was being abused, his mother and her boyfriend, Istana would laugh. [31]. About Gabriel Fernandez; Age: 8 Years: Birth: February 21, 2005: Death: May 24, 2013 California: Gender: Male: Siblings: Ezequiel, Virginia: Parents: Arnold Contreras . ' The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ' is Netflix's latest docuseries that manages to be hard-hitting, showing a terrible case of child abuse, while pointing out at the systemic failure to protect the child from his untimely demise. Knappenberger acknowledges that The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez plays into the phenomenon, though he says hes taking a slightly different approach to really look at systemic problems, and take the story beyond the facts of the tragic case at its core. Following Gabriels story brought to light for Knappenberger the host of challenges faced by child protective services, including overloaded caseworkers managing in a larger system that also brought in third-party companies and outside contractors to provide government services for a profit. . 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