Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged a mother and her boyfriend with murder and torture in the death of Anthony Avalos, the woman's 10-year-old son. Barron also said that Anthony told her he thought he was gay and she said she loved him regardless, according to Withers. He was forced to hold books and weights and made him fight his siblings.If the had an accident because he was locked in his room and couldnt go to the bathroom, Leiva would force Anthony to lay down face first in the pee. Doctors were horrified to discover there was fatal internal bleeding in his skull - he had allegedly also been whipped with a belt and a looped cord, and had hot sauce poured on his face, court documents say. Anthony had been removed from his home for several months when some of the reports of abuse were substantiated. According to the LA Times, "Based solely on the information provided by Ms. Barron, the assessor believes that her capacity to provide suitable care for her children is severely limited by her poor parenting skills, poor judgment and denial and lack of awareness of her mental health issues," counselor Luis Ramirez wrote in June 2014. Within months of their introduction, the father of one of Heathers younger children told police that Leiva was abusing his son. In other testimony, Helen Withers, a forensics services nurse at Antelope Valley Medical Center, told the judge that her facility was the first to which the boy was brought and that he was obviously malnourished and had bruises all over his body. When Leiva got angry, they said, he threw dirty diapers at them, slammed them into walls and dragged one of Anthonys half brothers by the ear, leaving it scabbed and bruised. He also told the hotline worker that Leiva was a member of the MS-13 gang and that he was afraid of what he would do next. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Atty. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Torture \u0026 Death of Anthony AvalosAnthony Avalos was a 10 year old Lancaster California boy, that, on the surface, appeared happy in many photos, but that was only masking his dark and sinister upbringing. His mother said the boy had fallen down a set of stairs. hitType: 'event', Vernon and her supervisor, however, decided against any further action. His travails began early. Dixon and her attorney declined to comment. When asked how long this had been happening, the children could be heard in the background responding, A thousand weeks., David told the hotline worker that Anthonys mother is cutting herself and saying that she hates life. I have pictures of her slitting her wrists and saying that she wants to die.. }); His mother and her boyfriend were charged with first-degree murder. One of Leiva's attorneys, Dan Chambers, countered that the evidence would demonstrate that there is "reasonable doubt" involving the murder charge against his client. By September 2015, Anthony was enrolled at Lincoln Elementary School in Lancaster. Nash declined to be interviewed and answered only limited questions about the case. Vernon had recently joined the department. }); It is very heartbreaking to me that Las Angeles County DCFS has failed yet again to protect two other children from the abuse, neglect and torture at the hands of the adults in the same home. Opening statements began in the trial against Heather Barron her boyfriend Kareem Leiva for the 2018 death and torture of Anthony Avalos. During that period, at least 13 calls were made by teachers, police, counselors and relatives to the child abuse hotline about Anthonys welfare. In May 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office reversed course and announced it would no longer seek the death penalty against the pair, who now faces a possible maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. This is my new house. Meanwhile the LA Times reports that his other aunt, Crystal Diuguid, even claimed to her therapist that Anthony's mum was beating him and locking him in a room with no bathroom or access to food. "His bones were protruding,'' Withers said. He said his eyes were sunken and his body was bruised and burned. The horrific death of Anthony Avalos and the many missed chances to save him By Garrett Therolf writer Sept. 4, 2019 3 AM PT Anthony Avalos was the fastest runner in his fourth-grade. Hello Everyone,Today's video is something that I just had to get off my chest. Members of Anthonys family, though, asked the district attorney to review the workers actions. Something went wrong. Through tears, she told Heather she was sorry for reporting the abuse allegations anything to win her way in. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times), This story appeared in the Los Angeles Times on September 4, 2019. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami previously 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.. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. The county settled that case for $32 million. }); Nash acknowledged, though, that he had not read the Hathaway-Sycamores case records. In Anthonys case, Mansfield and colleague Mark Millman brought in counselors from the Childrens Center of the Antelope Valley to provide services for the children and their mother. MORE: Palmdale woman, boyfriend sentenced in 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez's torture killing. Gabriel's case raised many questions on why the system and LA County's Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) failed to save Gabriel. Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta was chosen to hear the case after both sides waived their right to a jury trial for Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, who are charged in Anthony Avalos' June 2018 death. Anthony's mum and partner were charged with first-degree murder after the youngster died in hospital from a fatal bleed on the brain caused when he was allegedly dangled from a height and repeatedly dropped him on his head. Video broadcast on the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Wednesday May 11, 2022. ABC7's Dallas Raines explains the difference, Jury selection begins for convicted torturer accused of escaping jail. Jupiter and Venus meet for rare conjunction. The innocent 10-year-old died in 2018 after allegedly being brutally beaten and tortured by his mum Heather Barron, 28, and her sicko partner Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 32, who have both pleaded not. Investigators found Anthony also had reddened eyes and numerous bruises, cuts and scrapes on his forehead, nose, mouth, cheek, neck, legs, shoulder, hips, back, buttocks, stomach, ankle, legs and foot. Numerous persons, including social workers, relatives, service providers, school personnel, and others, reflected no concerns, he wrote. Heather Barron was then age 24 with four children and another one on the way. ga('ads.send', { Horrified, by what she had heard, the therapist called the child abuse hotline. Wright told the hotline operator that Millman was slow to respond to her phone calls and did not seem to take action when she finally reached him. In addition to the letter, she said he often drew pictures for her and her daughters. The children denied the allegation when interviewed by DCFS caseworkers, who did not try to reach Leiva at Barrons home and decided there was no need for follow-up. He was later disciplined for the move following an internal inquiry, according to grand jury transcripts. In the immediate aftermath of his death, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors promised a comprehensive public report by former Juvenile Court Judge Michael Nash director of the Office of Child Protection of any systemic issues in Anthonys protection by DCFS, the Sheriffs Department and other county agencies. He also said we did not talk about Hathaway Sycamores in our report because we did not see any information suggesting they did anything improper. His mother and her boyfriend were charged with first-degree murder. Anthony would never return to school after classes ended last year. They told him about being locked in a room, and they said Leiva also ordered the captains chair punishment. "No one deserves this," Deputy District Attorney. eventAction: 'click_ads' hitType: 'event', But DCFS and grand jury records and interviews show striking similarities in the two deaths that occurred within a 15-minute drive in the Antelope Valley. Over the objection of Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office dropped its bid for the death penalty against the two after the 2020 election of District Attorney George Gascon, who issued a directive that "a sentence of death is never an appropriate resolution in any case.''. "His bones were protruding," Withers said. Case workers had left Noah with his family despite a court order to remove him. When Heather hesitated to let her see her nephew, Maria crouched at her feet, on her hands and knees on the linoleum floor, to plead with her to allow her to see the boy. An attorney for Leiva declined to comment for this article. Obviously, in hindsight, it's easy to point fingersI know thatbut the blunt reality is it happend. They beat him with belts, a vacuum hose, vacuum cord, including whipping the bottom of his feet. Heather is my old mom. Heathers brother, David Barron, was the first person in the family to meet Kareem Leiva, a co-worker at a Santa Clarita shipping facility. } They seemed pretty shaken up when I talked to them about it, Gellardo told the hotline worker on the recorded line, adding his recommendation that the children not go home with their mother. 2023 FOX Television Stations, until THU 12:00 AM PST, San Bernardino County Mountains, until WED 10:00 PM PST, Riverside County Mountains. Hathaway-Sycamores chief executive, Debbie Manners, declined to be interviewed for this article. }); Priscilla Cabunoc told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta that she has seen hundreds of sick or injured children die while she has been on the job and that Heather Maxine Barron, the mother of the late Anthony Avalos, was one of the few who were not present in the hospital room when the child passed away. #AnthonyAvalos #GabrielFernandez #NoahQuatro#MournedByAll #justiceforanthony #justicefornoah #justiceforgabriel #DCFS #Unsolved #SolvedIF YOU LOVE THE MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO, YOU CAN FIND IT HERE AT EPIDEMIC SOUND\"Last Petal Falls\"https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/lug2sy/\"Fracture\"-httpshttps://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/lug2sy/\"My Empty Arms\"-httpshttps://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/lug2sy/ If they urinated while they were locked in a room, Leiva would push their face into the puddle. Learn about our new year-around minor in journalism, Programs for digital creators, educators and professionals, Audio and video production facilities for use or rent, Committed to reporting stories that expose injustice and abuse of power, Two-year fellowship matching early-career journalists with California newsrooms, Opportunity for early and mid-career journalists to report on food systems, Thought leaders and events of interest to our community, 2023 UC Regents. Their mother is also charged with first-degree murder for her alleged complicity with Leiva. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. pg.acq.push(function() { Anthony Avalos the 10-year-old California boy who died in 2018 after days of alleged brutal torture wrote a letter to his teacher two weeks before his death saying he wanted to stay with . But it emphasized that Anthony had not been under county oversight for more than a year before his death and no one had told the agency of ongoing danger during that time. The Sun US has contacted Dixon's legal team for comment. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ Copyright 2023 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But I hope and pray that another child does not loose his or her life on their watch, or any child in the USA that is being monitored by social services for that matter.There will be more video's concerning Anthony Avalos and Noah Quatro as the trial's continuemore evidence will show that not only are the adults who murdered Anthony and Noah are to blamebut DCFS will be under scrutiny once again.Thanks for watching. I know that he was brave, Anthonys aunt Maria Barron said of her nephew. },false) The lawsuit cited other high-profile deaths of children who were also being monitored by the DCFS -- 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and 4-year-old Noah Cuatro, both of Palmdale -- to allege systemic failures'' in the agency. Barron did not go back into the room until about an hour and 15 minutes later, according to Cabunoc. Eight siblings witnessed and were forced to take part in some of the abuse, which according to the documents included making the other children fight Anthony and forcing the children to keep watch "so Anthony would remain standing or kneeling.". }); The boy had "new and old injuries -- literally from head to toe," the deputy district attorney said, showing a photo of the boy while he was alive and then in a video from the hospital in which some of his injuries were depicted. The children, he said, confided that they had been locked in a room so long that they urinated and defecated on themselves.
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