By the San Fernando Valley Sun Staff and City News Service
When Emily Carranza learned that the defendants Heather Maxine Barron and Kareem Ernesto Leiva were found guilty of first-degree murder and torture for the death of 8-year-old Anthony Avalos this week, she allowed herself a moment of celebration.
A small moment.
There may have been justice at last for the Palmdale boy, she said, but the Avalos case was another agonizing example of a young life needlessly gone due to heinous circumstances.
“The Avalos family can now have that closure, that justice has been served. Heather Barron and Leiva will never walk out free again. So there’s a little bit of peace in there,” Carranza said. “Will they ever be complete? No.
“I’m pretty sure that they’re overwhelmed. I mean, even though it’s a joyous verdict, the pain and the emptiness are always going to stay with them. Because they don’t have Anthony to celebrate. Any way you look at it, it’s still a painful issue because not only did they lose a nephew, but they lost a sister because of what she’s done.”
Barron, 33, and Leiva, 37, were found guilty by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta on Tuesday, March 7, at the conclusion of their nonjury trial. They were also convicted of two counts of child abuse involving the boy’s half-siblings, identified in court as “Destiny O.” and “Rafael O.”
The judge also found true the special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture.
Over Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami’s objection, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped its bid for the death penalty against the two after the election of District Attorney George Gascón, who issued a directive that “a sentence of death is never an appropriate resolution in any case.”
Leiva and Barron face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole when they are sentenced on April 25.
“The verdict is the correct one,” Carranza said. “And life in jail with no parole is the right sentence that they can give.”
Carranza, who lives in Sylmar, said she understands the pain and emptiness the Avalos family is feeling very well. She is a cousin of the late Gabriel Fernandez, who was tortured and murdered in Palmdale by his mother Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre in 2013 at the age of 8. Carranza’s outrage over Gabriel’s death, as well as the perceived failure of the county Department of Child and Family Services to properly protect the youth, propelled her and Olivia “Liv” Rubio — another of Gabriel’s cousins — to become advocates for the safety of abused children.
Rubio, who closely followed the Avalos trial, issued a brief statement to the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol following the verdict. “It was an emotional day; it was a day of victory for Anthony Avalos.”
Hatami said after the judge’s decision, “The verdicts today aren’t a ‘win.’ There are no winners when a child is murdered. None of us can bring Anthony back. However, justice was served. The two most responsible for Anthony’s death have been found guilty and face life without the possibility of parole.
“Anthony’s voice was heard loud and clear. The truth came out. I believe Anthony is in heaven. And I hope he is happy with the verdicts. … The family hopefully can now have some closure. Please make sure Anthony’s legacy lives on. If you see something, say something. The safety of children is all of our responsibilities. [But] justice came for Anthony today.”
Carranza, who cofounded the Facebook page Gabriel’s Justice, said she has been less active as an advocate these days “for personal reasons” but remains fierce regarding the issue of protecting children. She said she feels the deaths of Anthony, Gabriel and Noah Cuatro in the Antelope Valley over the past 10-plus years — all by family members — points to a deeper-rooted problem.
“What is really happening out in Palmdale that three Hispanic families have not just lost a child, but the parents or the boyfriend, you know, are actually committing these crimes against their own children?” she said. “What do these women find in men like this, that really get a thrill on hurting children, and not just hurting them but taking their lives?
“I mean, they’re not just ruining their lives, they’re ruining the lives of extended family members that want these children to grow up.”
But Carranza insists there is plenty of blame to go around for the cause of these tragedies.
“I think the authorities need to take calls more seriously when it comes to calls of child abuse or possible child abuse,” she said. “I think when a child goes to a schoolteacher or any adult authority figure, whether it be a sheriff or counselor or a trusted friend, the authorities need to look into this and not just brush it off, not just see some kid that doesn’t want to be disciplined. They really need to investigate.
“If this child really is being abused, they need to actually check and see if there’s already a case on it. And if there was a case, why would they close it or leave it unopened? They just need to listen to the children and do a little bit of investigation. Because that’s the only way that these children are going to be safe now. If you neglect to believe this child, why are you even an authority? Why are you a police officer or social worker or anything of that matter that could possibly save a child? Listen to the children.”
But if and when a tragedy occurs, Carranza said she, Rubio and others will provide what comfort they can.
“We want to be able to help families that are being torn apart wrongfully. We also want to help those like the Avalos family and the Barron family that have suffered the same as we have by the loss of a child by the parents taking their children’s lives because of what we’ve already been through.”