As grieving family members prepare for a memorial Mass for Oscar Omar Hernandez, the 13-year-old from Sun Valley who was tragically found dead last week in Ventura County, they are also steeling themselves to pursue justice.
Oscar’s soccer coach Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino – who coached for the Huracan Valley boys’ soccer club in the Sylmar area – was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances in Oscar’s death April 7, over a week after the boy failed to return home after meeting him in Lancaster. His arraignment will be on April 30 in downtown Los Angeles.
The special circumstance charge alleges the murder happened during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child, which would make 43-year-old Garcia Aquino eligible for a potential death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“The investigation continues and they told us that the process will take a long time, but we’re glad it’s moving forward,” Alejandra Hernandez, 28, told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol.
Alejandra Hernandez is the oldest of four siblings in the Hernandez family, who moved to the United States from Honduras “for a better life,” said Oscar’s older brother Daniel Hernandez, who first came to the U.S. with their father Oscar Daniel Hernandez seeking work nearly 10 years ago. Oscar – who Daniel Hernandez lovingly described as “the baby of the family – nuestro niño” (“our boy”) – his mother and other siblings joined them in California about three years ago.
“My whole family is completely devastated right now – we are just devastated,” he told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol with tears in his eyes, while standing outside the family’s modest Sun Valley apartment. “We are all suffering so much right now over the loss of my little brother.”
“He was always such a happy boy – he woke up happy every day,” Oscar’s father told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “No matter where we went, he found a way to have fun – at the park, outside of church, anywhere. And he loved going to the river and playing soccer. He was a kid who really enjoyed life. During the little time he had in this world, he enjoyed it to the fullest.
“It hurts me to think about the way that guy killed him and the things he did,” he added. “Why do that to a child? And why my son? Maybe my son fought back and that’s why he killed him.”
“I don’t even want to hear his name,” Daniel Hernandez said angrily about Garcia Aquino.
Sylmar Coach Charged
Oscar, who was a popular student at Sun Valley Magnet School, where he was a 7th grader and stand-out soccer player, had taken the Metrolink train to meet Garcia Aquino at his home in Lancaster on March 28. He had reportedly invited Oscar and offered to pay him to help make soccer jerseys for the team.
Oscar’s family, who had grown to trust the coach – who had even visited the family’s home in Sun Valley – became worried when Oscar failed to return home and didn’t answer repeated calls to his cell phone the next day. They reported him missing on March 30, according to LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
Oscar was found dead April 2 in the city of Oxnard, off to the side of a road near Leo Carrillo State Beach, said Hochman. That same day, Garcia Aquino was arrested and charged with a separate crime: a felony count of assault with intent to commit a lewd act against a 16-year-old boy, which stemmed from an incident that allegedly took place in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024. Garcia Aquino faces six years in prison if convicted for that assault, said Hochman.
“These cases are tragic,” said Hochman after announcing the murder charge against Garcia Aquino April 7, standing next to Oscar’s parents and his sister. “Our role … is to bring justice to this family and to hold the person responsible for these brutal, heinous, unspeakable, unthinkable acts, hold [him] accountable and prosecute and punish [him] to the full extent of the law.”
Hochman said the details regarding how Oscar was killed were unavailable. At press time, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office had not yet released the autopsy report in the case.
On April 8, Garcia Aquino – who is reportedly an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, according to various media reports – was charged with an additional felony count for an alleged assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense on a 14- or 15-year-old teen in 2022. Authorities said the incident, which was investigated but never previously charged, took place at Garcia Aquino’s former residence in Sylmar. He currently remains in custody without bail.
LA County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said authorities are asking any other potential victims of Garcia Aquino to come forward, with the assurance that, even if any youths or their family members “may be here undocumented, we’re not going to ask about that,” stressed Luna.
“You need to come forward. We will assist you – whether it’s our department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the LA County District Attorney’s Office,” he said. “Any of us are going to … make sure that you get the appropriate services, guide you the right way [and] protect you.”
Daniel Hernandez said he wants “to have justice for my little brother,” adding that he’s glad law enforcement officials currently seem to be “on the right path” to eventually make that happen.
“I really hope that anyone else who was hurt by him will speak up and come forward,” he said.
Community Prayers & Support
After Oscar’s body was discovered last week, neighbors, classmates and community members rallied around the family. They created an altar in memory of Oscar outside their apartment, adorned with an array of flowers, candles, photos, signs and other mementos. They also started a nine-day “rosary novena,” a Catholic tradition often held in honor of a deceased loved one.
On the third night of the novena, about two dozen people gathered for the nightly vigil. Oscar’s mother, Gladys Bautista, greeted and accepted flowers from a small group of Oscar’s classmates from Sun Valley Magnet School who arrived with their parents. As several young teens openly wept, Bautista quietly comforted them, saying, “I still can’t accept that he’s really gone.”
Daniel Hernandez said he appreciates the kindness and support of friends and community members. Unfortunately, he said it’s difficult to find solace given their immeasurable loss.
“My brother was so sweet and playful – everyone loved him,” he said. “They took his life away in this country.”
Oscar’s father said his wife had originally hoped to take their son’s body back to Honduras, to bury him in his native country. But he acknowledged it would be difficult, because if they leave the U.S., it’s unlikely they would be able to return for financial reasons and other obstacles. His daughter Alejandra Hernandez later confirmed the family had decided to remain in the U.S.
“We want to be here for my son’s case, to make sure what happened to him isn’t forgotten,” said Oscar Daniel Hernandez. “There are maniacs out there – look what can happen. I urge other parents to be careful and watch after their children all the time.”
A memorial Mass for Oscar will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church – located at 4954 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles – on Saturday, April 12 at 3 p.m.
Law enforcement officials are asking anyone with information about the case or other possible victims to call the LAPD at (818) 374-5415 or the LA Sheriff’s Department at (877) 710-5273.
Information may also be provided anonymously via the LA Regional Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.
To donate to the family’s Go Fund Me page, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/oscar-omar-hernandez.