By TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH
LOS ANGELES — A Lancaster woman and her boyfriend were convicted Tuesday of torturing and murdering the woman’s 10-year-old son, Anthony Avalos, who died in 2018.
Wrapping up a non-jury trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta found Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, guilty of one count each of murder and torture for the boy’s June 21, 2018 death.
Ohta heard the trial after both sides waived their right to having the case heard by a jury, with closing arguments wrapping up Feb. 22.
The murder count includes the special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture. Over Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami’s objection, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped its bid for the death penalty against the two after the election of District Attorney George Gascón, who issued a directive that “a sentence of death is never an appropriate resolution in any case.”
Leiva and Barron now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In his closing argument, the prosecutor told the judge that the two defendants are “evil” and “monsters” who should be held accountable for her 10-year-old son’s torture and murder. Attorneys for the two defendants countered that Barron and Leiva should be acquitted of the most serious charges.
“I do believe that you will see this was intentional murder by torture,” Hatami told the judge.
The prosecutor noted that the defendants “blamed Anthony” for his injuries by claiming that he had thrown himself on the ground and that he had starved himself.
Hatami told the judge that the prosecution believes the boy died of a combination of starvation and dehydration, blunt force trauma, chronic child abuse and torture and failure to seek medical treatment.
The deputy district attorney said it was the prosecution’s position that “both of these defendants are evil individuals,” and that they were…
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