The Horrific Torture Murder of 8-Year-Old Gabriel Fernandez

Reader discretion….This story contains devastating details of child abuse and torture. It’s unquestionably one of the most gruesome and heartbreaking cases you will ever hear.

Over an eight-month period, the ‘mother’ of an 8-year-old and her boyfriend forced the child to eat cat litter, shot him with a BB gun, kicked him while holding him upside down by his feet, burnt him with cigarettes, and viciously beat him, breaking his bones, until he died, all because they thought he was gay and deserved to be mistreated.

The Netflix miniseries The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez brought the case to life and highlighted the many failures of the California Children’s Services agency that should have protected him and children living in abusive households.

Gabriel Fernandez died on May 24, 2013, after enduring eight months of horrific torture and abuse at the hands of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her live-in boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. Failed by social workers from California Children’s Services, Gabriel was left in the home despite numerous reports and indications of abuse.

Gabriel’s Early Years

Described as a sweet, caring child desperate for his mother’s love, Gabriel lived with his uncle, Michael Carranza, and his partner, David Martinez, from birth until age 4.

Gabriel’s grandparents grew concerned about him being raised by a gay couple and took him in 2009. Gabriel’s father was in prison.

Gabriel lived like any other child during his first seven years. He smiled, laughed, loved to play, and enjoyed school. He cared about other people.

Pearl Wants Custody of Gabriel

In 2012, Pearl decided she wanted custody of Gabriel, although her reasons were insincere. With Gabriel in the household, she could get more welfare benefits.

Gabriel’s grandparents nor his uncles had obtained legal custody of Gabriel, leaving them no choice except to hand Gabriel over to Pearl, despite their concerns.

Pearl and Isauro had dated for about two years before Gabriel came to live with them. He worked at a nursing home where residents thought of him as a giant ‘teddy bear’ and always wanted him to provide their care.

In October 2012, the same month Gabriel returned to Pearl’s care, Isauro began a new job as a security guard. Pearl’s other two kids, Ezequiel, 12, and Virginia, 10, lived in the Palmdale apartment with her and Isauro.

A Sad, Unhappy New Life

By November, Gabriel’s once bright smile had faded. He showed up at school covered in bruises and scars, with chunks of hair missing. He asked his teacher, Jennifer Garcia if it was normal for your mom to hit you. When Garcia asked Gabriel why he asked that question, he went on to ask if it was okay for your mom to hit you with a belt buckle and to make you bleed.

Despite Gabriel suffering horrifically at his mother’s hands, he loved her so much. On Mother’s Day, just days before he died, a black and blue, obviously battered Gabriel made a Mother’s Day card for Pearl.

Gabriel stopped attending school regularly. Garcia called Children’s Services to report that she thought Gabriel was being abused. Several other family members, neighbors, and friends made similar calls to report abuse in the Fernandez-Aguirre household.

Assigned to social worker Stefanie Rodriguez, Gabriel’s case seemed to be of little concern to her. She and other workers visited the home several times but claimed they never found any signs of abuse.

Gabriel denied that he was being hurt or abused when asked by social workers, although they asked him in front of Pearl.

Pearl would sometimes hide Gabriel inside a tiny wooden box when social workers visited, stuffing a sock inside and a bandana over his mouth to keep him quiet. Pearl explained away the bruises and scars on Gabriel’s face as injuries from a fall or wrestling around with his brother, Ezequiel. Social workers believed Pearl’s lies, set up a safety plan for Gabriel, and left him in the home.

Gabriel was kept inside the box most of the time. He slept in the box sitting inside Pearl’s bedroom, although it was barely large enough for him to stand inside, much less sit or lay down, or get comfortable. Pearl handcuffed Gabriel to the box so he could not sneak out at night.

Pearl and Isauro thought Gabriel acted feminine. Gabriel liked to play with dolls, and since he had been raised by his gay uncles, Pearl and Isauro assumed he was also gay. Neither Pearl nor Isauro would tolerate a gay child in their household.

The Abuse and Torture of Gabriel Fernandez

Pearl and Isauro forced Gabriel to wear dresses and girl’s clothing outside to play. They starved him, although they offered him spoiled and rotten food on occasion. Forced to eat spoiled cooked spinach, Gabriel vomited and was forced to lick up the vomit. They forced Gabriel to eat cat litter, which showed up in his autopsy, and cat feces.

Virginia and Ezequiel snuck Gabriel food and water when they could, but were scared because Pearl caught them once and beat them.

Pearl and Isauro hit Gabriel with the metal part of a belt buckle and with broomsticks, kicked him, and burnt him with cigarettes. Issauro, standing 6’2”, and weighing over 250 pounds, repeatedly punched Gabriel, who stood 4’1” tall and weighed 59 lbs. Pearl hit him with a baseball bat, knocking out two of his front teeth. The beatings resulted in several broken bones.

The pair forced Gabriel to take cold showers, pepper sprayed him as punishment, and burned him with heated spoons and knives. They laughed as Gabriel cried.

The Death of Gabriel Fernandez

On May 22, 2013, Pearl called 9-1-1 to report that Gabriel was not breathing. Earlier in the day, Gabriel endured a horrific beating after he failed to clean his toys up to their liking.

Authorities found Gabriel in a heartbreaking state, barely clinging to life, when they arrived at the apartment. He was naked, lying on the floor, with broken ribs, a cracked skull, and BB pellets embedded in his body. Gabriel's body was covered in scars and scabs from apparent burns, and he was covered in bruises.

Isauro told one of the paramedics that Gabriel was gay as they performed life-saving measures on him. He claimed Gabriel was an angry child and often hurt himself, and told authorities that he had injured himself in a bicycle accident a couple of days earlier. Pearl claimed his injuries had occurred after Gabriel and Ezequiel wrestled around the apartment.

Paramedics attempted to question Pearl about Gabriel’s injuries but said she appeared disinterested and displayed more concern over the well-being of her seven cats than her dying son.

Gabriel was transported to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where medical workers were left in shock and heartbroken when Gabriel arrived. Nurse Emily Rebar said it looked like every inch of Gabriel was covered in bruises.

Gabriel was declared brain dead at the hospital and passed away two days later, on May 24, 2013. His cause of death was attributed to blunt force trauma, compounded by neglect and malnutrition.

Even Death Isn’t Enough Punishment

Pearl and Isaguro were arrested for the abuse and murder of Gabriel. Pearl was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder. She never shed any tears for Gabriel nor showed any remorse, but did take time to flirt with Aguirre when the two were placed in side-by-side cells while awaiting a court appearance.

Aguirre was sentenced to death for first-degree murder with the special circumstance of intentional murder by torture.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami called Aguirre "pure evil" and noted that while Aguirre deserved to die for his crimes, "it doesn't even compare to what he did to Gabriel."

Four social workers were charged with crimes for failing to prevent abuse after Gabriel’s death, including Stefanie Rodriguez. An appellate panel ruled the workers should not face charges and failed to indict them. The workers were accused of minimizing evidence of abuse and falsely reporting that the safety plan set up for Gabriel was working.

Brian Knappenberger, a documentarian, told Time magazine in 2020 that he believed the workers had made “clear mistakes” but also noted obvious flaws present within the state system itself.

Sources:

https://time.com/5790549/gabriel-fernandez-netflix-documentary/

https://abc7news.com/gabriel-fernandez-family-documentary-anniversary/6206703/

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/brother-of-slain-8-year-old-boy-recounts-harrowing-tale-of-abuse/25796/