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Couple Sentenced for Murdering 8-Year-Old Boy Because They Thought He Was Gay

The judge called the torture of Gabriel Fernandez "worse than animalistic."

A Los Angeles mother and her boyfriend were sentenced this week for the 2013 murder of the woman's 8-year-old son, Gabriel Fernandez, who prosecutors argue was tortured because the couple believed he was gay, KTLA reports.

Pearl Fernandez, 34, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, 37, was sentenced to death.

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Fernandez pleaded guilty earlier this year to first-degree murder and admitted to intentional murder by torture. Aguirre, who was convicted of first-degree murder last year, rejected a plea deal that would have taken the death penalty off the table.

Gabriel was reportedly whipped, starved, bit, burned with cigarettes, pepper-sprayed, and fed cat feces and his own vomit. He also had his teeth knocked out with a bat.

The boy was kept bound and gagged in a small cabinet until first responders found him May 22, 2013. He had a cracked skull, broken ribs, and B.B. pellets in his lungs and groin. He was hospitalized but died two days later.

The prosecutor in Aguirre's case, deputy district attorney Jon Hatami, argued that Aguirre systematically tortured Gabriel for months because he thought the boy was gay. Hatami also said Aguirre and Fernandez tried to hide their abuse by using makeup to cover Gabriel's bruises.

Gabriel's siblings testified that Fernandez and Aguirre called Gabriel gay, punished him if he played with dolls, and forced him to wear girls' clothes to school.

Fernandez spoke briefly before the sentencing. “Every day, I wish I made better choices," she said. "I wish I could have saved Gabriel."

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During his sentencing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George Lomeli called the crimes "worse than animalistic, because even animals know how to take care of their young."

"In my almost 20 years on the bench in this court, this case is without a doubt the most aggravated and egregious case this court has ever witnessed," Lomeli continued. He told the couple he hopes they wake up in the middle of the night and think of the injuries they inflicted: "I can only wish... that it tortures you."

The case has also led to child welfare reforms in L.A. County. Four social workers assigned to Gabriel's case were accused of negligence in connection with his death and have been criminally charged with falsifying records and child abuse.

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