The convicted murderers of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without possibility of parole.
About the conviction
Heather Barron, the boy’s mother, and Kareem Leiva, her boyfriend, were convicted last month in a non-jury trial of abusing and torturing Anthony in 2018 and then lying to authorities about what led to his death.
On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta — who convicted the couple — handed down the sentence after emotional testimony from Anthony’s friends and family.
L.A.’s Department of Children and Family Services faced criticism after his death when it came to light that multiple social workers failed to properly report the repeated abuse.
A $32M settlement
In October, the department settled lawsuit brought by members of the boy’s family for $32 million.
“We hope that Anthony’s family and loved ones find a small measure of peace and closure in the resolution of this tragic case,” the department said in a statement when the settlement was announced. “Our department has taken significant steps to mitigate the risk of harm to children and improve our capacity to serve the families in the Antelope Valley region. We remain resolute in our commitment to ensure that reform continues.”
What happened today
Anthony’s family and friends gave more than two hours of emotional statements calling the defendants monsters for repeatedly assaulting and abusing an innocent child.
The backstory
On June 20, 2018, authorities were called to a Lancaster apartment where Anthony was found unconscious.
As we reported at the time:
Barron told authorities he…
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