Table of Biography
Gabriel Fernandez was an American child. Gabriel Fernandez gained prominence after his demise due to abuse and torture from his biological mother and her lover.
Early Life
Gabriel Fernandez was born on February 20, 2005, and he was only eight years old at the time of her demise on May 24, 2013. His hometown is Palmdale, California. Talking about her family, he parents are her mother Pearl Fernandez, and her father Arnold Contreras. Likewise, he had two siblings namely Ezequiel and Virginia.
However, shortly after birth, he was put in the custody of his great-uncle on his mother’s side, Michael Lemos Carranza, and his partner David Martinez. The couple continued to raise young him for four years.
Then in the year 2009, he moved in with his grandparents at the age of 4 years. This was because his grandfather objected to Michael and David’s same-sex relationship. The young kid then lived with his grandparents until 2012. After this, his mother, Pearl, and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre got custody. Pearl got custody reportedly to gain welfare benefits.
Caption: Gabriel Fernandez posing for a photo with his father, Arnold Contreras, and one of his siblings. Source: The Tab
Gabriel Fernandez- Rise to Prominence
The sad part of Gabriel Fernandez’s popularity is actually that he received it only after his demise. At a very young he was abused and tortured for months ultimately leading to his death. This demise was due to the fatal beating on May 22, 2013, which tragically led to his death two days later. When all these were happening to the young he, his father Arnold Contreras was behind bars and hence couldn’t help the kid get away from abuse and torture.
The most shocking part of the case is that his abusers-torturers-murders were his biological mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. The child’s murders were both charged and convicted of first-degree murder. The authorities also added special circumstances of torture to their charges.
His mother received the sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole while her lover was sentenced to death. However, Isauro is still awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison since June 13, 2018.
Throughout young eight-month stay with his mother and her lover, many people reported signs of abuse to social workers with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. These people also reported to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. However, the concerned authorities never removed the young child from the household despite the multiple reports.
Due to the negligence, four social workers were criminally charged in Los Angeles Superior Court. Moreover, many people also questioned the effectiveness and efficiency of social services in Los Angeles County.
Caption: Gabriel Fernandez appears in the newspaper after his untimely demise due to abuse and torture. Source: The Gate
Gabriel Fernandez – Abuse and Torture
Despite Gabriel’s family’s concerns, who had been taking care of him, Pearl – the biological mother – was given custody of him. The family shared concerns because Pearl was neglectful towards her other children. Soon after the custody, he moved in with his mother and her lover.
For the six months that he stayed with his mother and her lover, they systematically abused and tortured the young kid. They forced him to eat cat litter and feces and also eat his vomit. Moreover, they also regularly beat he causing broken bones.
Pearl and her lover also burned the young he in various parts of the body, shot in various areas of the body including the face and groin with a BB gun, forced the kid to wear female clothing, forced him to sleep bound and gagged in a small cupboard, pepper-sprayed, burned with cigarettes, given cold baths, and forced to eat spoiled or expired foods.
According to his siblings, while his parents abused him, they would laugh. Pearl’s lover reportedly abused him because he believed that the kid was homosexual. However, his mother and his lover didn’t extend the abuse and torture to his siblings.
Gabriel Fernandez – Events leading to his Demise
Then on 22 May 2013, Gabriel’s mother called 911 to report that her child, was not breathing. His mother and his lover had fatally beaten the young child. They beat the kid because he failed to clean up his toys. When first responders arrived, the authorities found him on the ground naked with several injuries.
Pearl’s lover explained to the responders that he was “gay”. The paramedics rushed him to the hospital where doctors declared him brain dead. Sadly, young he passed away two days later on 24 May 2013 at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The kid was only eight years old. The official autopsy declared that the kid’s cause of demise was due to blunt force trauma coincided with neglect and malnutrition.
Caption: Gabriel Fernandez’s mother, Pearl (far right), and her lover, Isauro Aguirre (far left) captured during their court hearing. Source: Oxygen
Relationship Status
At the young age of 8 years old, Gabriel Fernandez was single. His mother was romantically involved with Isauro Aguirre. Before this, Pearl was in a relationship with his father, Arnold Contreras. The pair also share other two children beside him. They are Ezequiel and Virginia.
At present, Pearl is behind bars as she agreed to plead guilty to first-degree murder. Hence, the court sentenced her to life in prison. Whereas, Pearl’s lover was sentenced to death and is currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
Body Measurements
At the time of his death, Gabriel Fernandez was 4 feet 1 inch tall and his weight was 56 pounds. The young kid had dark brown eyes and hair of the same color.
Caption: Gabriel Fernandez posing for a photo. Source: Oxygen
Social Media and Net Worth 2024
There is no personal account of the late Gabriel Fernandez. But we can find his documentary on Netflix, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. It is a six-part crime documentary and it premiered on Netflix in the year 2020. The director of this documentary is Brian Knappenberger.
Moreover, this documentary has details regarding the murder of him and the media and local government’s subsequent responses. Moreover, there is also no information regarding the young kid’s net worth since he is no more in this world.