Mother forced her 8-year-old son to eat cat litter and feces until his death because he was gay

A mother will never leave her jail cell after admitting to torturing and killing her own son because he was gay, according to police in California. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office that the 34-year-old mother of Palmdale pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the death of her 8-year-old son. Pearl Sinthia Fernandez entered her plea to the murder count and admitted the special circumstance allegation of intentional murder by torture. She faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole when she is sentenced later this year.
Pearl and her 37-year-old boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, severely abused her son, Gabriel Fernandez, for months, leading up to the boy’s death. Gabriel was beaten by Aguirre because he believed the boy was gay. Gabriel suffered numerous injuries, including a fractured skull, 12 broken ribs, and burns, prosecutors said. Aguirre was found guilty of first-degree murder and the special circumstance allegation of intentional murder by torture. Jurors recommended the death penalty for Aguirre. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
According to the police investigation, Aguirre and Pearl tortured the child over a period of several months. Prosecutors told the court that Aguirre routinely beat the child because he thought Gabriel was gay. Gabriel was fed cat litter and feces, shot with a BB gun, and locked in a cabinet for long periods of time. One day, Aguirre beat the boy until he died. Aguirre then called 911 and confessed to beating the child to death.
Aguirre’s defense attorney, Michael Sklar, admitted that his client was guilty of murder but denied that the boy was hated because he was gay. Sklar claimed that Aguirre flew into a rage because the boy asked his mother to leave her boyfriend. 4 social workers who were involved with the family were also arrested for ignoring Gabriel’s plight. Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records.