U.S. News reports a 10-year-old boy is a victim of torture, including being beaten, starved, and brutalized, leading to his death by his mother and mother’s boyfriend.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call from a mother on June 20, 2018, claiming his son, Anthony Avalos, had been injured in a fall. Avalos died in a hospital the following day. Doctors said the child was severely malnourished and dehydrated, as reported in MSN.
The mother and her boyfriend were arrested. Kareem Leiva, 37, and Heather Barron, 33, were convicted in a non-jury trial of first-degree murder involving torture and child abuse of two other children in their Lancaster home. Leiva and Barron are facing life imprisonment without a chance of parole.
Kareem Ernesto Leiva (left) and Heather Maxine Barron (right) are sentenced to life imprisonment without a chance of parole after torturing and killing Anthony Avalos. (Photo: ABC7)
Prosecutors said the boy and the other children were routinely beaten and whipped with a belt, repeatedly dropped on his head, burned with cigarettes, smashed into the floor or furniture, and denied water and food or force-fed.
The other two children testified at the trial and described Leiva and Barron as “monsters” who collaborated on the torture.
Prosecutors said Leiva sprayed hot sauce in the children’s faces and made the youngsters kneel on concrete floors, nails, or uncooked rice for long periods. The children are also forced to fight one another, and he punishes the loser.
Meanwhile, Barron’s defense attorney argued that Leiva also abused her and could not stop him from abusing the children.
However, County District Attorney George Gascon argued that the couple would torture the boy every day for two weeks resulting in his death.
On the other hand, Los Angeles County agreed to pay $32 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by the boy’s father and three siblings. A home counseling contractor was also sued and agreed to a $3 million deal with the boy’s family.
The lawsuit accused the county Department of Children and Family Services of disregarding 13 reports of abuse allegations involving Anthony from teachers, counselors, relatives, and law enforcement. However, the agency never attempted to remove the boy from his home.
