GUILTY CA - Anthony Avalos, 10, possibly died after abuse by mother, Lancaster, 20 June 2018 *arrests*

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Niner said:
Actually - the court site says: Court Trial - for this case. Others say Jury Trial.
And that is what it said this morning - Court Trial. I have not seen anything that has changed from bench trial to a jury trial. I think the newspaper article is wrong. :)

You can compare post #141 with #154 - first one says Jury Trial & second one says Court Trial.
Click to expand...
I found a correction from the original Los Angeles news station I quoted stating you are absolutely correct! Bench Trial. :)
abc7.com

Prosecutors outline disturbing allegations of abuse in Anthony Avalos murder trial

In gruesome detail, prosecutors spelled out allegations of torture and child abuse they say led to the death of Anthony Avalos.
abc7.com abc7.com
 
www.latimes.com

Years after abuse ended in Anthony Avalos' death, his mother and her boyfriend go on trial

Trial begins for Anthony Avalos' mother and her boyfriend, accused of abusing him for years before his death exposed failings in L.A. County's social services.
www.latimes.com www.latimes.com

Jan. 25, 2023

The last four years of Anthony Avalos’ life were nearly constant torture.

The Antelope Valley boy would spend hours locked in a room with no access to food, water or a bathroom. His body was wracked with welts produced by the lashes of belts and electrical cables. Wounds on his knees would scab over and reopen after he was forced to kneel on uncooked rice and concrete. His blood dotted the room where he slept.
[.....]
At the time, Anthony’s death exposed the failure of Los Angeles County’s social services system to protect the 10-year-old and his siblings despite more than a dozen reports from relatives alleging Leiva and Barron were abusive. Now, the start of the trial four and half years later has turned the focus squarely on the tragedy of the boy’s short, pain-filled life and the people accused of ending it so violently.

“She’s been torturing her kids for a long period of time,” L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Saeed Teymouri said of Barron on Wednesday. “Once defendant Leiva came into the picture, it turned deadly.”

Although Leiva admitted to severely abusing the boy in a recorded interview with Sheriff’s Department investigators that was played in court Wednesday, his attorney, Dan Chambers, argued that Leiva did not cause Anthony’s death and should be acquitted of his murder.

Barron’s attorney, Nancy Sperber, declined to give an opening statement. During the trial, Sperber is expected to try to shift blame onto Leiva. Barron has alleged in interviews with police that Leiva also abused her.

Instead of a jury trial, both defendants opted to have Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta render a verdict in the case.
[.....]
At the trial, which is expected to last up to six weeks, multiple doctors and paramedics are expected to testify that Barron did not look bothered, and at other times appeared to be feigning tears, while her son lay unconscious and dying. Other witnesses are expected to paint Leiva as a violent gang member who starved and beat the children whenever they were out of Barron’s sight.

In addition to determining the defendants’ guilt or innocence, the trial will also serve as a referendum on the county’s Department of Children and Family Services.

Barron’s sister-in-law, Maria Barron, took the stand Wednesday and wept after prosecutors replayed a call her husband had made to a county hotline in 2015, detailing abuse Anthony and the other children allegedly suffered from Leiva. After the report was filed, Maria Barron said, the agency allowed her sister-in-law to have an unsupervised visit with the children, during which she recorded them recanting the abuse allegations. The agency’s caseworkers later returned the children to Leiva and Barron, who cut off contact with her sister-in-law.


A LOT more in article.
 
Thursday, January 26th:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 2) for both (@ 8:30am PT) – CA – Anthony Avalos (10) (June 20, 2018, Lancaster; died 6/21/18) – *Heather Maxine Barron (29/now 33) (“mom”) arrested & charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Possible sentence 22 yrs to life.
*Kareem Ernesto Leiva (32/now 36) (BF) arrested (6/27/18), charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Maximum sentence 32 yrs to life.
Bench Trial began on 1/25/23.
Court information for Leiva from 8/6/18 thru 1/19/23 reference post #156 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-8
1/25/23 Bench Trial Day 1: Opening statements by L.A. County Deputy Dist. Atty. Saeed Teymouri & attorney Dan Chambers for Leiva & attorney Nancy Sperber for Barron. At the trial, which is expected to last up to six weeks, multiple doctors and paramedics are expected to testify.
State witness: Maria Barron, Barron's sister-in-law.
for more info see post #163 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
Bench trial continues on Thursday, 1/26/23.
 
Friday, January 27th:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 3) for both (@ 8:30am PT) – CA – Anthony Avalos (10) (June 20, 2018, Lancaster; died 6/21/18) – *Heather Maxine Barron (29/now 33) (“mom”) arrested & charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Possible sentence 22 yrs to life.
*Kareem Ernesto Leiva (32/now 36) (BF) arrested (6/27/18), charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Maximum sentence 32 yrs to life.
Bench Trial began on 1/25/23.
Court information from 8/6/18 thru 1/19/23 & Trial Day 1 (1/25/23) reference post #164 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
1/26/23 Bench Trial Day 2: State witness: No info available yet.
Bench trial continues on Friday, 1/27/23.
 
theavtimes.com

Siblings of Lancaster woman testify she abused her children

A Lancaster woman charged along with her boyfriend with the torture and murder of her 10-year-old son inflicted some of the same type of punishment on her children that had been used against her by her mother and stepfather years earlier, her brother and sister testified Thursday.David Barron an
theavtimes.com theavtimes.com

apparently she did not break the cycle. her poor kids.

also from link, did she take this from the pearl fernandez playbook? - "Heather Barron told investigators that Anthony might be gay and that she responded that she would love him no matter what because he was her “baby.”
 
Last edited:
David Barron said he told DCFS during one of the calls that he believed one of the children would be dead in five years if they were left in the home. He said it wound up being only about three years before Anthony died.

David Barron said he tried to protect Anthony and his younger siblings after learning of the abuse, but DCFS returned the four children to Heather in 2015. David never saw his nephew again.
abc7.com

In Anthony Avalos murder trial, siblings of defendant testify she abused her children

Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva are charged with one count each of murder and torture involving Anthony's June 2018 death.
abc7.com abc7.com
 
Oops - it looks the trial went from Thursday, 1/26 to Monday, 1/30/23. So no trial today, 1/27/23 per the article posted above.
 
LaborDayRN said:
Thanks Niner. I'm sad so few people are following. I felt the same about Gabriel Fernandez. I understand though. It's horrible.
Click to expand...

That is true. I too followed Gabriel's case.... what is going on in Lancaster!! Maybe it is the desert air... so sad! :(
 
Niner said:
That is true. I too followed Gabriel's case.... what is going on in Lancaster!! Maybe it is the desert air... so sad! :(
Click to expand...
I wish I knew. I know a LARGE percentage of the high desert communities population commute to Los Angeles for work daily. It's a long drive (1-2.5 hours each way) there and back. I've read that it causes a great deal of stress for families, but in these two cases (Gabriel & Anthony) I think it was more likely that the parents are just monsters. (Gabriel actually lived in Palmdale but one town runs into the other).
 
Monday, January 30th:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 3) for both (@ 8:30am PT) – CA – Anthony Avalos (10) (June 20, 2018, Lancaster; died 6/21/18) – *Heather Maxine Barron (29/now 33) (“mom”) arrested & charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Possible sentence 22 yrs to life.
*Kareem Ernesto Leiva (32/now 36) (BF) arrested (6/27/18), charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Maximum sentence 32 yrs to life.
Bench Trial began on 1/25/23. Presiding Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta.
Court info from 8/6/18 thru 1/19/23 & Trial Day 1 (1/25/23) reference post #164 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
1/26/23 Thursday, Bench Trial Day 2: State witness: David Barron, brother. Crystal Diuguid, Barron's sister. Luz B., Anthony's cousin. Victor Avalos, Anthony's father. Michael Gelardo, who was a patrol deputy at the L.A. County sheriff’s station in Lancaster at the time & is now a detective.
for more info see post #166 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
Testimony is set to resume Monday, 1/30/23, with three of the boy’s half siblings expected to be called to the stand later next week.
 
abc7.com

Anthony Avalos looked malnourished, covered in bruises after 2018 call to Lancaster home, EMT says

Ten-year-old Anthony Avalos looked dead when authorities were called to his Lancaster home in 2018, but his mother didn't appear to be very upset, witnesses testified in the murder trial.
abc7.com abc7.com

Jan. 31, 2023
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Firefighters and an EMT-paramedic described, through tears at times, what they witnessed on the day they responded to the Lancaster home of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos.
[.....]
"He looked dead," retired L.A. County firefighter Ronald Watts said after taking a deep breath and beginning to sob.
[.....]
Firefighter Neal Eggers took the witness stand next to describe some of the injuries he could see on Anthony - bruises that ranged in color from purple and yellow to green. The different colors of bruises indicated to him that Anthony's injuries occurred over a period of time.
Eggers described Anthony as so malnourished and dehydrated, they could not find a vein to start an IV.
[.....]
Earlier on Monday, EMT-paramedic Diane Ravago described the injuries she witnessed as one of the first responders to the scene, including what she believed to be cigarette burns on Anthony's torso.
"Malnourished, thin - like a zombie," Ravago said of Anthony's appearance. "Abrasions, scabs, bruising front to back, head to toe."
[.....]
Testimony resumes Tuesday morning with several deputies and detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department expected to take the witness stand.
 
Tuesday, January 31st:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 4) for both (@ 8:30am PT) – CA – Anthony Avalos (10) (June 20, 2018, Lancaster; died 6/21/18) – *Heather Maxine Barron (29/now 33) (“mom”) arrested & charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Possible sentence 22 yrs to life.
*Kareem Ernesto Leiva (32/now 36) (BF) arrested (6/27/18), charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Maximum sentence 32 yrs to life.
Bench Trial began on 1/25/23. Presiding Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta.
Court info from 8/6/18 thru 1/19/23 & Trial Day 1-2 (1/25 to 1/26/23) reference post #173 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
1/30/23 Monday, Bench Trial Day 3: State witness: EMT-paramedic Diane Ravago. Retired L.A. County firefighter Ronald Watts. Firefighter Neal Eggers.
for more info see post #174 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
Testimony is set to resume Tuesday, 1/31/23.
 
LaborDayRN said:
Thanks Niner. I'm sad so few people are following. I felt the same about Gabriel Fernandez. I understand though. It's horrible.
Click to expand...
Horrible as it is, it needs to be streamed. People need to see what's going on. I was in awe of Netflix when they covered Gabriel's case.
 
kfiam640.iheart.com

Ex-Deputy: Mother on Trial for Murder Said She Didn't Hit Her Children | KFI AM 640

A woman whose 10-year-old son's lifeless body was found on the living room floor of their Lancaster home told responding sheriff's deputies that she didn't hit her children, and asked if she was going to be taken to jail and if her children were going to be removed from her custody.
kfiam640.iheart.com kfiam640.iheart.com

Feb. 1, 2023

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A woman whose 10-year-old son's lifeless body was found on the living room floor of their Lancaster home told responding sheriff's deputies that she didn't hit her children, and asked if she was going to be taken to jail and if her children were going to be removed from her custody, a former deputy testified Tuesday.

Ex-Deputy Adan Ordaz told Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta -- who is hearing the non-jury trial of Heather Maxine Barron and her boyfriend, Kareem Ernesto Leiva -- that Anthony Avalos appeared not to be conscious or breathing and that he immediately "realized something was wrong" because the boy had "multiple injuries" that "didn't seem right for a 10-year-old boy."
[.....]
Barron's daughter, Destiny, who was upstairs that day, told Ordaz that "my mom doesn't hit me, nobody hits us," the former deputy said, noting that another of the woman's sons, Rafael, gave "pretty much exactly the same" statement. He said it seemed suspicious.
[.....]
Sheriff's Deputy David Pine, who was the first to arrive at the family's Lancaster apartment following a 911 call on June 20, 2018, said the boy appeared to be dead. He said he began chest compressions in an effort to revive the boy, whose legs were covered with bruises and marks.
[.....]
Another deputy, Brandon Vanarsdale, testified that emergency personnel who were treating the boy appeared to be more upset than his mother was.
[.....]
Jon Ferguson, a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain, said the boy wasn't breathing, didn't have a pulse and was "very lifeless." He said the boy's sunken eyes and bruising were not consistent with a child his age, leading to the conclusion that "things weren't right."
[.....]
Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Wilkinson, then a detective in the Special Victims Bureau, said he responded to Antelope Valley Hospital that day and found the boy "lifeless" and bruised with many tubes and monitors attached to him. The boy's mother "didn't appear very concerned with what was happening to her son in the next room," he testified.
[.....]
When asked by Deputy District Attorney Saeed Teymouri about Barron appearing to be "hysterical" and "stuttering" at times during audiotaped interviews with detectives, Wilkinson said, "It appeared that she was trying, in my opinion, to fake an emotion. I never saw any tears."

Just before her first lengthy interview with sheriff's detectives, Barron was notified while at Antelope Valley Hospital that Anthony was being transferred to UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and that he was not expected to recover.

"Oh my God, oh my God. Don't say that, don't say that, don't say that," she can be heard saying in the audio recording, which was played in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom. "Don't tell me that, don't tell me that. That's my baby, my first-born ... I promise I didn't do nothing."
[.....]
Barron's attorneys reserved their right to make an opening statement when the defense begins its portion of the case.


The article doesn't really say IF the prosecutors rested their case. This is the only article I could find on this case.
 
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Wednesday, February 1st:
*Bench Trial continues (Day 5) for both (@ 8:30am PT) – CA – Anthony Avalos (10) (June 20, 2018, Lancaster; died 6/21/18) – *Heather Maxine Barron (29/now 33) (“mom”) arrested & charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Possible sentence 22 yrs to life.
*Kareem Ernesto Leiva (32/now 36) (BF) arrested (6/27/18), charged (6/29/18), arraigned (7/2/18), indicted (10/31/18) & recharged & indicted (2/27/19) with 1st degree capital murder, torture (special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture) & 2 counts of child endangerment resulting in death. Plead not guilty. Held on $2M bond. DA will not seek DP. Maximum sentence 32 yrs to life.
Bench Trial began on 1/25/23. Presiding Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta.
Court info from 8/6/18 thru 1/19/23 & Trial Day 1-3 (1/25 to 1/30/23) reference post #175 here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
1/31/23 Tuesday, Bench Trial Day 4: State witness: Ex-Deputy Adan Ordaz. Barron's daughter, Destiny. Sheriff's Deputy David Pine, who was the first to arrive at the family's Lancaster apartment following a 911 call on June 20, 2018. Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Vanarsdale. Jon Ferguson, a Los Angeles County Fire Dept. captain. L.A. County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Wilkinson, then a detective in the Special Victims Bureau. Deputy District Attorney Saeed Teymouri showed audio taped interviews with detectives. Barron's attorneys reserved their right to make an opening statement when the defense begins its portion of the case.
for more info see post #178 (article) here:
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/t...r-lancaster-20-june-2018-arrest.378137/page-9
Testimony is set to resume Wednesday, 2/1/23.
 

abc7.com

In Anthony Avalos murder trial, siblings of defendant testify she abused her children

Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva are charged with one count each of murder and torture involving Anthony's June 2018 death.
abc7.com abc7.com

Heather Barron, and her boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, are accused of killing 10-year-old Anthony Avalos in 2018 after years of horrific abuse. Barron and Leiva have pleaded not guilty to torturing and murdering Anthony. They are also charged with two counts of child abuse involving two of the boy's half-siblings.

The pair testified that they subsequently repeatedly notified the county Department of Children and Family Services about the alleged abuse of Anthony Avalos and three of his half-siblings.

David Barron said he told DCFS during one of the calls that he believed one of the children would be dead in five years if they were left in the home. He said it wound up being only about three years before Anthony died.

David Barron said he tried to protect Anthony and his younger siblings after learning of the abuse, but DCFS returned the four children to Heather in 2015. David never saw his nephew again.
 
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