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A 10-year-old boy named Anthony Avalos was killed by his mother and her boyfriend back in 2018. According to authorities, the 10-year-old was tortured prior to his tragic death and had bruises and cigarette burns on his stomach.
Anthony Avalos’ mother Heather Barron and her ex-boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, were charged with the murder of the child. They were convicted of the crime and have been found guilty of one count each of torture and murder.
The verdict was given on Tuesday by a Los Angeles judge. The same was announced over a month after the pair’s bench trial began. According to prosecutors, Anthony Avalos was tortured and starved as well, by his mother and her boyfriend. It was discovered that he appeared dehydrated when he was brought to the hospital.
Trigger warning: This article contains disturbing descriptions of violence and child abuse. Readers’ discretion is advised.
Anthony Avalos' siblings shed light on the torture the 10-year-old went through
On June 21, 2018, a 10-year-old boy named Anthony Avalos was tortured and killed by his own mother and her then-boyfriend. On June 20, Heather Barron called 911 to report that her son was injured in a fall. However, prosecutors revealed that the injuries that the child sustained came from weeks of abuse by his mother.
Heather Barron and her ex-boyfriend were arrested and charged with the death of Avalos. Around six weeks after the murder trial began, LA judge Sam Ohta convicted the pair of torturing and murdering the child. Closing statements wrapped up on February 22.
According to Fox News, Judge Ohta read:
“For the crime charged in court 1, murder… the court finds defendant Kareen Ernesto Leiva guilty of first-degree murder. The court finds defendant Heather Maxine Barron guilty of first-degree murder under the theory of torture murder.”
The judge heard several testimonies, including that of Anthony Avalos’ sister Destiny, and his brother Rafael. They testified about the alleged abuse that Anthony Avalos reportedly faced. Rafael testified that Anthony was often given severe punishments, including being asked to hold weights in the air for a long time.
Destiny mentioned that the children were often forced to fight each other. Even though she was forced to fight him, she chose to let him win, so that further chaos could be avoided.
An important witness who took the stand to testify was Anthony Avalos’ fourth-grade teacher, who described him to be “everyone’s best friend” and “always happy and a joy to be around.” The teacher further read a handwritten letter that Anthony gave her around two weeks before the murder.
It read:
“I just want to stay with you forever, but I can't. I just hope you have a good rest of your life because you already know that I'm going to have a good life.”
10-year-old Anthony was reportedly whipped and made to kneel on rice
A 14-year-old girl named Sofia, a former batchmate of Anthony's, took the stand on Wednesday and said that the then 10-year-old was often hungry. Authorities discovered that in the days leading up to the murder, Anthony had undergone immense torture.
As per People, the disturbing amount of torture and abuse included making him kneel on rice for a long time, pouring hot sauce into his mouth and face, and whipping him with a belt. Anthony Avalos was also often held upside down and was then dropped as a punishment.
In the closing argument, prosecutors described the defendants to be “evil” and “monstrous.” Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami told the judge:
“I do believe that you will see this was intentional murder by torture… They’re bad, bad, evil people… They’re nothing short of monsters for what they did. It wasn’t just Leiva doing the abuse. Heather Barron participated in the torture… Heather Barron participated in the abuse.”
The prosecutor spoke about Heather and said:
“She wasn’t suffering from intimate partner violence. She was covering up.”
One of Kareem’s daughters saw him dropping Anthony, soon after which the child appeared to be dead. The trial took more than a month to come to a verdict and convict the pair of killing Anthony Avalos.
