{"id":485845,"date":"2021-05-08T18:05:49","date_gmt":"2021-05-08T22:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=485845"},"modified":"2021-05-08T18:05:51","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T22:05:51","slug":"l-a-county-d-a-gascons-office-drops-death-penalty-for-couple-charged-with-murdering-torturing-10-year-old-boy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/l-a-county-d-a-gascons-office-drops-death-penalty-for-couple-charged-with-murdering-torturing-10-year-old-boy\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s Office Drops Death Penalty For Couple Charged With Murdering, Torturing 10-Year-Old Boy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fl-a-county-d-a-gascons-office-drops-death-penalty-for-couple-charged-with-murdering-torturing-10-year-old-boy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=485845&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GG.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p>Proponents of a drive to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n say the progressive prosecutor is \u201cgoing easy\u201d on a couple accused of killing a 10-year-old boy after his office dropped its bid for the death penalty this week.<\/p>\n<p>City News Service reports, Heather Maxine Barron, 31, and her boyfriend, Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 35, were charged in the June 2018 death of Barron\u2019s son, Anthony Avalos. According to the outlet, both could now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged of murder and torture. Prosecutors had added a special-circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture to the underlying charges, which had made Barron and Leiva eligible for capital punishment.<\/p>\n<p>The latest controversial move from the D.A.\u2019s office stems from a set of special directives Gasc\u00f3n unveiled after taking office in December that barred prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. Leiva\u2019s attorney told KCAL News that the legal team expected this decision after Gasc\u00f3n took office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not based upon new evidence,\u201d said L.A. County Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, who has been a vocal critic of Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s new direction. \u201cThis is not based upon new mitigation or new law. I stand by the special-circumstance committee decision that I announced to the court on the record two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"11.479108635097\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Do those who voted for LA County\u2019s new District Attorney support this move? <br \/>The death penalty has been taken off the table for a mother and her boyfriend who allegedly tortured her 10 y\/o son, Anthony Avalos, to death. Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s own deputy DA is speaking out against him. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KTLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KTLA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oxswcQkStj\">pic.twitter.com\/oxswcQkStj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChristinaKTLA\/status\/1390673732994166786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The Los Angeles Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-boy-death-gay-20180626-story.html\">reported<\/a> that Avalos \u201ccame out as gay\u201d weeks before his death. Sources <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-boy-death-20180623-story.html\">told<\/a> the Times that law enforcement officers and the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) had \u201cdocumented years of severe abuse allegations,\u201d the outlet had previously reported.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, the Times provided <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-ln-boy-torture-arraignment-20181003-story.html\">more details<\/a> about the alleged abuse that prosecutors say led to Avalos\u2019 death:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"27\">\n<p><em>For a week or so before Anthony slipped out of consciousness and died on June 21, Barron and Leiva allegedly poured hot sauce on the boy\u2019s face, forced him to kneel on rice and repeatedly lashed the bottom of his feet with a belt, according to a motion filed by Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Hatami. The defendants gave the boy rug burns, dangled him upside down and dropped him on his head, and switched between withholding food for long periods and force-feeding him, Hatami wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>But the brutality, prosecutors say, began long before Anthony\u2019s last tortured days and, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department and DCFS records, included at least three of Anthony\u2019s siblings. Hatami wrote that Leiva hit them with a hose, forced them to squat against a wall for long periods of time \u2014 the \u201ccaptain\u2019s chair,\u201d he called it \u2014 and hurled dirty diapers at them. In one instance, the prosecutor wrote, Leiva hit Anthony\u2019s younger brother with enough force that the boy needed medical attention and staples to close a head wound.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>ABC 7 <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7news.com\/kareem-leiva-anthony-avalos-lancaster-child-abuse-killed-heather-barron\/4835229\/\">reported<\/a> Barron and Leiva forced Avalos to \u201cfight his siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pair also faces child abuse charges involving two other minors who lived in the home.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2019\/08\/28\/prosecutors-in-death-of-anthony-avalos-10-seek-death-penalty-for-lancaster-mom-and-her-boyfriend\/\">described<\/a> Leiva in court documents as an active member of the MS-13 street gang, an accusation that was reportedly repeated by child protective caseworkers.<\/p>\n<p>According to City News Service, Avalos\u2019 father, aunt, uncle, and six of his half-siblings \u201cfiled a lawsuit last summer against the county, alleging that multiple social workers failed to properly respond to reports of abuse of Anthony and his siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the second time Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s office has taken the death penalty off the table since he was sworn in. The other case involves a suspect accused of killing his cousin and a police officer. Prosecutors said they were \u201cordered to remove the death penalty as punishment consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"6.7826086956522\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This is not the first case where prosecutors have objected to the death penalty being dropped as a potential punishment.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VictimsMatter?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VictimsMatter<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/irY9hHrEBq\">pic.twitter.com\/irY9hHrEBq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LACoSheriff\/status\/1390487784893284354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>During Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s campaign, he said the practice \u201cis fatally flawed, racially biased, and risks executing innocent people.\u201d He released a <a href=\"https:\/\/georgegascon.org\/campaign-news\/george-gascons-plan-to-end-the-death-penalty-and-resentence-those-condemned-to-death\/\">plan<\/a> \u201cto end the death penalty and resentence those condemned to death,\u201d pledging to \u201cembark upon a thorough review of every existing death penalty case from Los Angeles County.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in 2019 suspending the death penalty during his administration. Gasc\u00f3n previously said he would \u201cactively support the Governor\u2019s moratorium\u201d if elected. Only voters can repeal the death penalty, which is part of the state constitution. The last execution in California occurred on January 17, 2006.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this week, the City of Covina became the seventh city in L.A. County to pass a resolution expressing \u201cno confidence\u201d in D.A. Gasc\u00f3n. Councilman John King <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lamag.com\/citythinkblog\/no-confidence-vote-george-gascon\/?utm_content=bufferf2b84&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=twitter.com&#038;utm_campaign=buffer\">told<\/a> Los Angeles Magazine that lawmakers had \u201cvoted to communicate with our District Attorney in a public and direct way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that our council voice may be lost in the bigger discussions taking place, but I and my colleagues are hearing concern, fear, and anger from our community around Mr. Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s directives,\u201d King told the outlet. \u201cOur action has no immediate impact other than to give voice to those that are fearful that Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s directives will continue to erode the quality of life in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Covina Mayor Jorge A. Marquez voted against the resolution, saying, \u201cthis is just the wrong way to send a message.\u201d Marquez told L.A. Magazine the action was the first time the city had taken a vote of no confidence on an elected official.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt undermines democracy,\u201d said Marquez. \u201cHe was democratically elected and he is doing exactly what he said he was out to do. He spoke to voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, advocates of a drive to recall Gasc\u00f3n point out that some of his reforms were not part of his platform during the campaign, such as prohibiting prosecutors from filing most gun enhancements.<\/p>\n<p>Organizers told supporters this week that \u201cthe campaign to Recall George Gascon is ramping up, equipping volunteers, and awaiting the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters to approve the petition,\u201d which they said \u201cwill happen shortly.\u201d The committee, called Victims of Violent Crime for the Recall of District Attorney Gasc\u00f3n, indicated it is \u201cquickly raising money, purchasing tables, chairs, pop-up tents, and other materials we need to collect the 580,000 signatures required to qualify for the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/three-more-cities-vote-no-confidence-in-progressive-l-a-county-d-a-gascon-amid-recall-threat\">Three More Cities Vote \u2018No Confidence\u2019 In Progressive L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n Amid Recall Threat<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/l-a-county-d-a-gascon-dismantles-hardcore-gang-unit-for-new-public-health-approach\"><strong>L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n Dismantles Hardcore Gang Unit For New \u2018Public Health Approach\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/l-a-county-d-a-gascon-calls-out-conservative-media-and-tough-on-crime-types-amid-recall-threat\"><strong>L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n Calls Out \u2018Conservative Media\u2019 and \u2018Tough-On-Crime Types\u2019 Amid Recall Threat<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/blm-leader-assures-l-a-county-d-a-gascon-we-have-your-back\"><strong>BLM Leader Assures L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n: \u2018We Have Your Back\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><em>member<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Proponents of a drive to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n say the progressive prosecutor is \u201cgoing easy\u201d on a couple accused of killing a 10-year-old boy after &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2277579,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GG.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s Office Drops Death Penalty For Couple Charged With Murdering, Torturing 10-Year-Old Boy","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-485845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GG.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"L.A. County D.A. Gasc\u00f3n\u2019s Office Drops Death Penalty For Couple Charged With Murdering, Torturing 10-Year-Old Boy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2277579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}