Testimony continued this week in the murder trial of Isauro Aguirre, the California man accused of torturing and murdering Gabriel Fernandez, his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son, allegedly because he believed the boy was gay.
Gabriel Fernandez’s Teacher Says He Told Her: ‘Sometimes, My Mom Makes Me Bleed’
On Thursday, Jennifer Garcia, who was Gabriel’s first-grade teacher, took the witness stand and told the court the boy had once confided in her, allegedly telling her, “Sometimes, my mom makes me bleed,” reports NBC Los Angeles.
Gabriel died in 2013 from a skull fracture, shattered ribs and severe burns. Burrowed into his skin were BB pellets; one was also found in his lung, according to local ABC affiliate KABC-TV. Aguirre, 37, and the boy’s 34-year-old mother, Pearl Fernandez, have both pleaded not guilty to his murder.
The mother’s trial is pending. Both defendants face a possible death sentence.
Two days after he was found unresponsive by emergency medical technicians inside his Los Angeles home, Gabriel died.
Gabriel’s teacher said Thursday it was obvious to her — as well as other school staffers — the boy was allegedly living in an abusive home. ABC reports Garcia testified that Gabriel was absent often, and frequently came into class with bruises.
Garcia testified that in late 2012, Gabriel allegedly told her his mother had beaten him with a belt that had a metal buckle. She called California’s Department of Children and Family Services, NBC reports. Jurors were played a recording of the call that initiated the agency’s investigation into the alleged abuse.
“‘Sometimes, my mom makes me bleed’,” Garcia quoted the boy as telling her. “And I say, ‘Where?’ He said, ‘Well, on my bottom.’”
NBC reports that Garcia also told the court she once addressed with Gabriel about bruises she noticed on his face. Initially, he lied, telling her he had had a bad fall. When pressed, the boy allegedly told her his mother had fired a BB gun at his face.
“I asked him, ‘Why did you lie? Why didn’t you tell me?’ And he said, ‘Because when I tell you, and that lady comes, I get hurt worse,’” Garcia said, adding it was apparent the child was referring to a social worker.
She also talked about Gabriel’s embarrassment at being sent to school in girl’s clothes. NBC reports Garcia said she wondered if it was some kind of a “sick game” by Aguirre and Fernandez.
“It was almost like they were seeing how far they would go,” Garcia said from the stand.
After the boy died, Garcia said she found a note he had written in the desk at school. It read, according to reports: “I love you, Mom. Gabriel is a good boy.”
With Halloween a week away, parents all over the country are scrambling to find costumes for their kids.
Here’s Why Brooklyn Mom Says It’s Offensive for White Girls to Dress Up As Moana for Halloween
But they might want to stay clear of Moana, the main character in Disney’s 2016 hit movie of the same name. A controversy swept through the web last month when writer Sachi Feris published a now-viral article titled “Moana, Elsa, And Halloween” about why Feris wouldn’t let her daughter dress up as the Polynesian princess.
In a conversation about cultural appropriation with her 5-year-old daughter, Feris said: “Moana is based on real history and a real group of people…if we are going to dress up a real person, we have to make sure we are doing it in a way that is respectful. Otherwise, it is like we are making fun of someone else’s culture.”
Last year, her daughter dressed up as Elsa from Disney’s 2013 blockbuster Frozen, which she felt comfortable with because, she wrote, “Elsa is an imaginary or made-up character,” adding: “A child whose family is Polynesian could dress up using that type of traditional clothing, but Moana’s culture is not our culture.”
After the post went viral, parents all over the country weighed in. Many applauded Feris’s decision, including one who wrote: “I admire your perseverance in interacting with your daughter. I realize talking about race and culture is an ongoing deeply important conversation. You…have given her essential values along with guidelines, so she has the opportunity to grow, be creative, learn and find her way in the world with many ways to celebrate and play with her own race.”
Others thought it was over the top to politicize a favorite kid holiday. “I really feel like more and more it’s adults that are ruining things like Halloween for children by injecting their own internal racism or insecurities,” another griped. “I think some would like to see all races and cultures completely segregated again, where we live in our own bubbles and neighborhoods. We should be encouraging kids to appreciate other cultures, not making them feel guilty for wanting to emulate others.”
“My standard has been that it is ok to dress up as a character but not as a culture,” wrote a mom who seemed to straddle the line between both points of view. “So you could dress up as Pocahontas or Tiger Lily, but not as a Native American.”
At the end of her essay, which generated crucial conversations online, Feris promised to keep the dialogue between herself and her daughter going. “One thing is for sure,” she wrote, “our discussions around appropriate and inappropriate Halloween costumes will continue.”