In connection with the death of her 10-year-old son, who passed away more than four years ago, a Los Angeles woman and her boyfriend were both found guilty of murder in March.
Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, were charged with the first-degree murder and torture of young Anthony Avalos. They were also accused of abusing Anthony’s two other half-siblings.
On Tuesday, March 7, Judge Sam Ohta of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County announced the verdicts, finding both Barron and Leiva guilty of two counts of child abuse as well as first-degree murder and torture. A month after their bench trial began, the verdict was decided.
The evidence shows that on June 20, 2018, a few weeks after fourth-grader Avalos’ school year ended, Barron dialed 911 from her home. She informed the dispatcher that her son was not awake.
Prosecutors claim that when responding officers arrived at the home, the boy was discovered in a pitiful condition. He allegedly had no pulse, numerous bruisings and scrapes, as well as cigarette burns on his stomach. The young boy had obvious signs of torture, had been starved and beaten, and had experienced excruciating physical pain.
Officers rushed him to the hospital right away, where doctors declared him to be severely malnourished and in critical condition due to severe dehydration. The boy was not able to be saved, and the next day he passed away.
According to the prosecution, Barron had been mistreating Avalos and his two siblings for years, but things deteriorated after she began dating Leiva. He would use belts to beat the kids, force-feed them hot sauce, and make them fight each other.
Leiva, a well-known gang member, is also accused of stabbing another prisoner while he was on awaiting trial. He had been accused of domestic violence in 2010 and 2013.
The County District Attorney George Gascón was criticized by Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami for preventing prosecutors from requesting the death penalty in this case. According to California law, the maximum punishment for both defendants is life in prison.
The Avalos family sued the county social workers for failing to protect the kids despite numerous reports of abuse beginning in 2013 and won a $32 million settlement.