Kareem Ernesto Leiva, Anthony Avalos, Heather Barron.Photo: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Facebook; rfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The mother ofAnthony Avalosand her former boyfriend have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 10-year-old’s 2018 murder and torture.
Heather Barron, 33, and her former boyfriend,Kareem Leiva, 37, were convicted in March of the abuse and killing of the boy in Lancaster, Calif.
More than a dozen family members gave heart wrenching statements during Tuesday’s sentencing.
“I am finally free from all the torture and abuse,” Anthony’s sister Destiny testified, according to theLos Angeles Times. “If I would have known this would end with me losing a brother, I’d do it all over again with just one difference: that it would be me, not Anthony.”
On June 20, 2018, Barron called 911 to report that Anthony was hurt after being injured in a fall, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. But prosecutors said all of his injuries came from weeks and years of abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.
Justice for Anthony/Facebook
According to the prosecution filing in 2018, Leiva was also accused of lifting Anthony and slamming him on the floor, then kicking him in the stomach.
Among those who reported possible abuse or neglect were law enforcement, relatives, school employees, therapists and others.
During their March trial, Destiny, and Anthony’s brother, Rafael, testified about the alleged abuse from Leiva, theLos Angeles Timesreported.
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Rafael said one of his punishments would be holding weights in the air for long periods of time while Destiny said the children were forced to fight each other, according to theLos Angeles Times. She also testified that when she was forced to fight Anthony, he would let her win so she could avoid further punishment from Leiva.
Anthony’s fourth grade teacher also testified during the trial, saying Anthony was, “everyone’s best friend” and “always happy and a joy to be around,“ABC 7reported.
She read aloud a handwritten letter Anthony gave her just two weeks before his murder, ABC 7 reported, which read: “I just want to stay with you forever, but I can’t. I just hope you have a good rest of your life, because you already know that I’m going to have a good life.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go towww.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
