The settlement means that Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services are the only defendants left in the lawsuit brought in July 2019. "Anthony hadn't been given food or water, he had Leiva smash his head into a corner, he put his weight on top of Anthony, pushing his knees down onto the rice and nails.". Heather Barron and her ex-boyfriend Kareem Leiva are now waiting for verdicts that could send them both to prison for the rest of their lives. El Paso, TX View Divorce . The family of Anthony Avalos alleges that social workers willfully disregarded concerns about abuse and failed to protect the boy before his death. The youngster was rushed to hospital in June 2018 following what prosecutors claim was a period of vicious and repeated abuse in his own home. Barron and Leiva are charged with one count each of murder and torture involving the June 2018 death of Anthony Avalos, along with two counts of child abuse involving the boy's half-siblings, identified in court as Destiny O. and Rafael O.. The judge heard from dozens of witnesses over the course of this trial, including Anthony's half siblings and Leiva's older biological children. 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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $32-million settlement for the siblings and father of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, who prosecutors say died of abuse and torture at . SHERMAN, Texas (KXII) - The murder of Laura Thomas and her two children is a case prosecutor Kerye Ashmore can't shake. Following weeks of disturbing testimony, the verdict leveled against the couple may have them behind bars for the rest of their lives. And I go, What else does he do? and he said, He picks me up and slams me to the floor and against the wall,' David Barron told a hotline worker. No DCFS employees have been disciplined in connection with the case, the agency has said. Pictured above: Anthony Avalos, 10, was found with severe injuries at his family's apartment in Lancaster last month. He had a life crossed by addictions and lived for years on the street. The boy, Anthony Avalos, had recently come out as gay, a county official said, and some suspect that homophobia played a role in his death. The boys half-siblings testified earlier this month that they had been forced to undergo punishment, including kneeling on uncooked rice, wrestling each other and watching each other be disciplined, and that they saw their mothers boyfriend dropping Anthony repeatedly on the bedroom floor. It remains unclear why the alleged deadly abuse of Anthony occurred, though DCFS officials have suggested it could be because of Anthonys perceived sexuality after he allegedly stated that he liked boys. Another theory was that Anthony was fathered by a man other than Leiva, unlike Barrons other children. "Think about a 10-year-old child kneeling down on rice and nails," Hatami said. People that called to report alleged abuse included a day care worker, an assistant principal and the uncle of the slain boy, 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, according to grand jury transcripts in the case that were made public on Monday, TV stations KNBC, KTTV, WLS and the Los Angeles Daily News all report. Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta is hearing the case of Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, as a result of a decision by both sides to waive their right to a jury trial. The lawsuit cited other high-profile deaths of children who were also being monitored by the DCFS 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and 4-year-old Noah Cuatro, both of Palmdale to allege systemic failures in the agency. She wasn't suffering from intimate partner violence. Like Gabriel, Anthony had been under the supervision of the DCFS sporadically over a three to four-year period. Local - AV Antelope Valley news Anthony Avalos Dept. The lawsuit cited other high-profile deaths of children who were also being monitored by the DCFS -- 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and 4-year-old Noah Cuatro, both of Palmdale -- to allege "systemic failures" in the agency. Teymouri told the judge that there had been multiple contacts with the county's Department of Children and Family Services dating back to 2014. It is a symptom of battered woman syndrome., Barron's attorney disputed the prosecution's allegation of a well-conspired plan by the defendants, saying Barron and Leiva were two people I don't think have the capability to do that.. The innocent 10-year-old died in 2018 after allegedly being brutally beaten and tortured by his mum Heather Barron, 28, and her sicko partner Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 32, who have both pleaded not guilty to charges against them. [1], According to Sheriff Jim McDonnell, the arrest of Leiva was made after he made suspicious comments during an initial police interview. The mother of Anthony Avalos, a boy who came out as gay weeks before his death, has been arrested and charged with his murder By Alexia Fernndez Published on June 30, 2018 12:30 AM "Anthony was removed from all the machines and passed away in his hospital room alone," Hatami told the court. They could not see injuries to his head that appeared severe enough to explain the little boy's near-death state. View our online Press Pack. "Every single man in her life was an abuser of one form or another, including her stepfather," said attorney Nancy Sperber. The family of Anthony Avalos, a 10-year-old Lancaster boy who prosecutors say died of child abuse, has reached a tentative settlement with the county. Share ; "This was intentional murder by torture.". If convicted of all charges after a trial expected . A man was robbed and assaulted when a group armed with an AR-15 rifle burst into his motel room in Anthony, Texas, over the weekend, authorities said. The children testified that Anthony got the worst of the abuse. Avalos mother and her boyfriend are accused of torturing the 10-year-old Lancaster boy for days before his death in 2018. Leiva's conduct allegedly grew worse as the children underwent further questioning. Palma testified that she considered herself a stepmother to Angel when she lived with his father between 2015 and 2020. On June 7, 2018, Anthony Avalos had just completed fourth grade. [4] In that period of time, at least 13 known calls (by teachers, counselors, relatives, and police) were made to the child abuse hotline regarding Anthony's welfare. LOS ANGELES -- Anthony Avalos would be in ninth grade if he were still alive today. CHILLING new details have emerged into the horror death of Anthony Avalos, who authorities claim was killed and tortured by his mom and her boyfriend. Anthony Avalos trial closing arguments. The following day, Anthony died in hospital; his cause of death was a traumatic brain injury and a bleed on the brain. I think whatever happened to Anthony was going to happen anyways.. Many 'Red Flags' but No One to Save Him: Inside the Short Life and Slow Death of 10-Year-Old Anthony Avalos Prosecutors believe Anthony Avalos, 10, was tortured for days by mom Heather Barron and her boyfriend, Kareem Leiva and there was a history of abuse. [4], On August 28, 2019, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it was seeking the death penalty against both Barron and Leiva. More witnesses in the Anthony Avalos case take the stand. The case of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos exposes serious failures by the Los Angeles County child protection system to intervene before his death. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. RELATED: Gabriel Fernandez, 8, was tortured to death. A jury convicted Thomas of stabbing all three people to death and cutting their . The prosecutor said Barron and Leiva weren't trying to save Anthony but were trying to save themselves when Barron called 911 on June 20, 2018, after the boy was left on the floor for about two days following about two weeks of abuse. Both Barron and Leiva have pleaded not guilty, and Anthony's siblings have been removed from the home. He was being watched between 2013 and 2016 and throughout that period at least 13 calls were reportedly made by concerned teachers, police, relatives and counsellors to the child abuse hotline. At times, he was forced on wounded knees to kneel on uncooked rice, nails and concrete. Gabriel Fernandez, 8, was tortured to death. [12] The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office under District Attorney George Gascn subsequently dropped the death penalty option for both Barron and Leiva.[13][14]. Following . Jonathan Hatami said as Barron stared blankly ahead, not looking up. The 10-year-old straight-A student was on the school's honor roll. The boy's relatives sued the county, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors officially authorized a $32 million . A judge is set to hear closing arguments Thursday in the trial of a Lancaster woman and her boyfriend, who are charged with murder and torture in connection with her 10-year-old son's death. Barron and Leiva have pleaded not guilty. A 911 call was made one day before Avalos was murdered. They remain jailed without bail. LOS ANGELES A prosecutor told a judge Thursday that a Lancaster woman and her boyfriend are "evil" and "monsters" and should be held accountable for the murder and torture of her 10-year-old son, while attorneys for the two argued that the defendants should be acquitted of the most . A detective and nurse took the footage to document the 10-year-old's severe injuries shortly before he was taken off life support in June of 2018. The innocent 10-year-old died in 2018 after allegedly being brutally beaten and tortured by his mum Heather Barron, 28, and her sicko partner Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 32, who have both pleaded not . "Some kid 12 years old, he's half the size of what he should be, and I don't know what goes on in that . Leiva and Barron now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if they are convicted as charged. Opening statements began in the trial against Heather Barron her boyfriend Kareem Leiva for the 2018 death and torture of Anthony Avalos. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has dropped its bid for the death penalty against a Lancaster mother and her boyfriend charged in the death of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, a . [1], The deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Brandon Nichols, stated that Avalos had recently told his mother, "he liked boys and girls.[2], In the aftermath of Avalos' death, several of his relatives revealed that Barron and Leiva had demonstrated repeated evidence of their intense homophobia. Barron and Leiva were charged in June 2018 with the boys killing and were subsequently indicted by a Los Angeles County grand jury in October 2018. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, $32-million settlement approved in child abuse death of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, Anthony Avalos family and L.A. County reach tentative $32-million settlement, Counselor who didnt report abuse of Gabriel Fernandez, Anthony Avalos put on 4-year probation, Prosecutors will no longer seek death penalty in the Anthony Avalos torture case, The horrific death of Anthony Avalos and the many missed chances to save him, After boys death, family sues L.A. 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