Couple in Los Angeles tortured and murdered their four-year-old son

EFE

José María Cuatro, 32, and Úrsula Elaine Juárez, 30, residents of Palmdale, California, will face decades behind bars for the death of their son Noah Cuatro. 

Cuatro has been sentenced to 32 years, while Juárez must serve 22 years in prison.

On July 5, 2019, an emergency call reported Noah's drowning in the pool at his apartment complex. However, medical staff discovered signs of trauma in the 4-year-old boy, who died the next day.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) investigation revealed a pattern of abuse spanning four months prior to Noah's death. The couple also faces charges of torture during that period.

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Maggie Hernández, the minor's aunt, called José María Cuatro an “evil monster” during her testimony in court. Additionally, Evangelina Hernández, Noah's great-grandmother, revealed that Juárez had expressed her dislike for the boy in the past.

In the midst of the case, in 2020, Evangelina Hernández filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County, alleging that Noah's death occurred after multiple reports of abuse to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

Noah's tragic fate is not an isolated case in Los Angeles. In May 2013, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernández was a victim of abuse and torture in Palmdale, while in Lancaster, in June 2018, 10-year-old Anthony Ávalos also suffered a similar fate.