Timeline: The horrific story depicted in Netflix doc ‘The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez’
The horrific death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez in 2013 triggered shock waves through Los Angeles and beyond that still linger to this day.
Now, a new Netflix series examines the unsettling case. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez†is a six-part documentary series that delves deep into the death of the Palmdale boy, who was brutally abused and tortured by his mother and her boyfriend.
Former Times reporter Garrett Therolf extensively chronicled the case for the Times and elsewhere. His reporting serves as a springboard into the series, which weaves together a portrait of the horrors Gabriel suffered and an examination of systemic breakdowns of local government in protecting him. (Therolf, who is now a reporter for the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley, is a producer on the series.)
A boy’s brutal murder and the public trials of his guardians and social workers prompt questions about the system’s protection of vulnerable children.
Here is a timeline of key developments in the case, as reported by the Times.
May 24, 2013: Gabriel Fernandez dies
Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old Latino boy in Palmdale, dies two days after being severely beaten. Paramedics found Gabriel naked and not breathing, with a cracked skull, three broken ribs and BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin.
May 29, 2013: Palmdale boy’s torture death triggers L.A. County probe
Officials launch an investigation into Los Angeles County’s handling of abuse complaints involving Gabriel. Four social workers are placed on desk duty pending possible disciplinary action. “We need to know where the breakdown was in the services recommended and why this child was not removed from those living conditions,†county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich said at the time.
May 30, 2013: Signs of boy’s abuse missed by L.A. County social workers
A Times review of confidential documents reveals that county Department of Children and Family Services left Gabriel in the care of his mother and his mother’s boyfriend despite six investigations into abuse allegations involving the mother over the previous decade.
June 25, 2013: Citizens commission to investigate Dept. of Family Services
In the wake of Gabriel’s death, the county Board of Supervisors votes to create a blue-ribbon commission to investigate the child welfare agency and propose reforms to its handling of child welfare cases.
July 30, 2013: Social workers involved in horrific child torture case fired
Two social workers and two supervisors in the county Department of Children and Family Services are fired over Gabriel’s death. Others “peripherally involved†in the case receive letters of warning or reprimand.
Aug. 13, 2013: Palmdale couple accused of torturing, killing child due in court
Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, are arraigned on charges of murder and a special circumstance of torture. According to authorities, Aguirre admitted causing the injuries to Gabriel during police interviews, and Fernandez admitted she was present and did not intervene during the assault.
Aug. 18, 2014: Boy’s alleged abuse described in graphic grand jury testimony
A Times review of more than 800 pages of grand jury testimony reveals Fernandez’s and Aguirre’s pattern of shocking abuse against Gabriel. Two of Gabriel’s siblings, both minors, testify that in the months leading up to his death, Gabriel was forced to eat cat feces and his own vomit; made to sleep in a locked cabinet without access to the bathroom; and subjected to regular beatings. Fernandez and Aguirre also called Gabriel gay, punished him when he played with dolls and forced him to wear girls’ clothes to school.
July 1, 2015: Prosecutors to seek death penalty against mother, boyfriend in torture, killing of her son
Prosecutors announce that the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will seek the death penalty against Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, who were indicted by a grand jury on a charge of murder and a special circumstance of torture. Fernandez and Aguirre plead not guilty.
April 7, 2016: Social workers charged with child abuse in case involving Gabriel Fernandez
In an unusual turn in the case, four Los Angeles County social workers — Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt — were each charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony count of falsifying public records in connection with the 2012 death of Gabriel Fernandez. Los Angeles County prosecutors allege that the county Department of Children and Family Services employees minimized “the significance of the physical, mental and emotional injuries that Gabriel suffered … [and] allowed a vulnerable boy to remain at home and continue to be abused.â€
Jan. 1, 2017: L.A. sheriff’s deputies disciplined after horrific torture death of 8-year-old boy
A Times review of grand jury testimony, child welfare records and court documents showed that L.A. County sheriff’s deputies visited Gabriel Fernandez’s home multiple times in the months leading up to the child’s death. But the deputies found no signs of abuse and did not file paperwork that would have prompted specially trained detectives to delve further into the child’s well-being. None of the nine deputies involved with the case were criminally charged. Prosecutors said in court papers that some were disciplined internally; the Sheriff’s Department declined to provide specifics.
Nov. 15, 2017: Mother’s boyfriend guilty of murder in torture death of 8-year-old Palmdale boy
Isauro Aguirre is convicted of first-degree murder, also finding true a special allegation that the murder was committed with the infliction of torture. Jurors deliberated for roughly six hours before returning the verdict.
Dec. 13, 2017: Jurors vote for death penalty for mother’s boyfriend in torture killing of 8-year-old Palmdale boy
After deliberating for about seven hours over three days, the jury recommends Isauro Aguirre be sentenced to death. The panel of jurors wrote a public statement that was read aloud by the jury forewoman: “We were plucked out of our everyday lives and brought together to serve. We came together to bring justice for Gabriel.â€
Feb. 24, 2018: Mother of 8-year-old boy tortured and beaten to death pleads guilty to murder
Pearl Fernandez, Gabriel’s mother, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Her guilty plea avoided a trial, where prosecutors were expected to seek the death penalty just as they had with Isauro Aguirre. Fernandez’s defense team had said capital punishment wasn’t appropriate given Fernandez’s low IQ.
Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli sentenced Fernandez to life in prison without parole and Aguirre to be executed for Gabriel’s torture killing, abuse that the judge described as “horrendous, inhumane and nothing short of evil.â€
Sept. 13, 2018: Charges upheld against L.A. social workers in death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez
A motion to dismiss child abuse and other charges against four social workers in the case involving Gabriel Fernandez is denied. Lomeli said the social workers had demonstrated “an improper regard for human life†and “a lack of vigilance†by neglecting to properly document the abuse.
March 3, 2019: Counselor testified she didn’t report suspected abuse to authorities before Gabriel Fernandez was killed
The death of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos from alleged abuse brings scrutiny to Hathaway Sycamores Child and Family Services, a contractor paid by the county for child welfare services. According to court documents reviewed by the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley and The Times, Barbara Dixon, a former Hathaway counselor who worked on both the Avalos and Fernandez cases, testified that her boss at Hathaway, Michael Bailey, did not want her to report suspected abuse after a 2013 visit to Gabriel’s home. Dixon also testified that her supervisors at Hathaway told her not to cooperate with police investigating Gabriel’s death.
May 22, 2019: After 2 suspected homophobic killings, audit finds broader issues with L.A. child welfare
A state audit of L.A. County’s Dept. of Children and Family Services, initiated after Anthony’s and Gabriel’s deaths, concludes, “The department has allowed children to remain in unsafe and abusive situations for months longer than necessary because it did not start or complete investigations within required time frames.†In addition, the state auditor’s office finds that the department’s social workers used “inaccurate†assessments to determine child risk and failed to conduct criminal background checks of those living in homes where children were placed.
Dec. 11, 2019: To bring a boy’s murderers to justice, a prosecutor wrestled with his own childhood abuse
In a Times profile of Deputy Dist. Atty. Jon Hatami, who successfully convicted Aguirre of Gabriel’s murder, the prosecutor opens up about how his own experience of child abuse shaped his handling of Gabriel’s case — and how the case changed his career. “It’s my truth,†he says. “I know what it feels like to be powerless.â€
Jan. 8, 2020: Appeals court throws out case against four social workers in Gabriel Fernandez case
In a 2-1 ruling, a state appeals court throws out charges of child abuse and falsifying public records against four former employees of the county Department of Children and Family Services involved in Gabriel’s case. “Although there may be consequences to social workers who fail to fulfill†their duties, the opinion reads, “the consequences do not include criminal liability for child abuse.â€
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