Murder of Gabriel Fernandez
| Murder of Gabriel Fernandez | |
|---|---|
Victim Gabriel Fernandez | |
| Location | Palmdale, California, U.S. |
| Date |
|
Attack type | Child murder, child abuse |
| Victim | Gabriel Daniel Fernandez, aged 8 |
| Perpetrators | Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre |
| Motive | Inconclusive |
| Charges | Kevin Bom, Patricia Clement, Gregory Merritt, Stefanie Rodriguez: Child abuse, falsifying public records (dismissed) |
| Verdict | Fernandez: Pleaded guilty Aguirre: Guilty at trial |
| Convictions | First-degree murder with special circumstances of torture |
| Sentence | Fernandez: Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole Aguirre: Death (de jure) |
Gabriel Daniel Fernandez (February 20, 2005 – May 24, 2013) was an eight year old boy from Palmdale, California, United States, who died after months of severe abuse and torture. His death resulted from a beating inflicted by his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. Both were charged and convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture. Pearl was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole and Aguirre was sentenced to death.
Social workers associated with the case were charged with child neglect and falsifying public records due their handling of this case. Ultimately, their charges were dismissed by an appeals court.