Police in California are trying to find further victims who a youth soccer coach could have sexually assaulted after he was formally charged with the loss of life of one in all his 13-year-old gamers.
Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, 43, was charged with homicide for the loss of life of Oscar Omar Hernandez, Los Angeles County District Legal professional Nathan Hochman introduced in a press convention Monday.
Garcia Aquino was charged with one depend of homicide with the particular circumstance allegation of homicide through the fee or tried fee of lewd acts with a toddler.
The alleged youngster assassin is about to be arraigned on Tuesday in Los Angeles.
He’s going through a doable loss of life sentence or life in jail with out the potential of parole in connection to Hernandez’s loss of life, Hochman mentioned.
Garcia Aquino was arrested by Los Angeles police Wednesday, April 2, on an unrelated warrant for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale on February 22, 2024.
“The household subsequently filed a prison report with the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station alleging sexual abuse of their youngster,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna mentioned through the press convention.
“This case was assigned to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division Particular Victims Bureau North workforce, who’s tasked with investigating bodily and sexual abuse of youngsters, together with grownup felonious sexual assaults.”
Luna mentioned that the LA Sheriff’s Division knowledgeable detectives with the LAPD of the sexual abuse allegations from 2024 when Garcia Aquino grew to become a suspect in Hernandez’s disappearance after which homicide.
On March 28, the 13-year-old went to see Garcia Aquino and boarded a Metrolink practice to Palmdale, California, to assist the soccer coach at a posh.
Nonetheless, when the teenager didn’t return residence that night, his household started searching for him.
Whereas trying to find their beloved one, Garcia Aquino had allegedly picked up Hernandez’s cellphone the day he was reported lacking when his brother Jose tried to name and informed him the teenager was unavailable.
Later, the coach allegedly informed Hernandez’s father that he had dropped the boy off “close to” the household’s residence — prompting the household to contact police on March 30 and report him lacking.
Investigators discovered the 13-year-old’s physique in a wooded space of Ventura County two days later — greater than 70 miles from his household’s Lancaster residence, based on Los Angeles police.
“No mother or father ought to ever need to endure the unimaginable ache and sorrow of studying their youngster has been murdered,” Hochman mentioned.
“Oscar merely boarded a practice and little did he or his household know that he would by no means return.”
His reason for loss of life continues to be unknown.
On Thursday, Hernandez’s household and associates held a vigil the place his physique was found, ABC 7 reported.
“He didn’t must be handled like an animal. That was my son,” the boy’s devastated mom, Gladys Bautista, informed the outlet.
Within the wake of the homicide of Hernandez and the sexual assault cost from 2024, police at the moment are urging every other victims who Garcia Aquino could have focused to return ahead.
“There’s at all times a worry that there are extra victims and we wish to be sure that we account for everyone on the market,” Luna mentioned.
“For some motive, anyone fears coming ahead, at the same time as a youth or a household, as a result of you might be right here undocumented, we’re not going to ask about that. Please, you might want to come ahead. We’ll help you.”
LAPD Chief McDonnell additionally assured every other victims that any stories delivered to them can be handled “as sensitively because it must be handled.”
Victims or anybody with info is requested to contact the Los Angeles Police Division at (818) 374-5415 or the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division at (877) 710-5273.
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