A California man tortured and killed his girlfriend's 8-year-old son because he believed the child was gay, prosecutors said Monday.
Isauro Aguirre is charged with capital murder and may face the death penalty for the "unspeakable acts of abuse" committed against little Gabriel Fernandez, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
"This wasn't about drugs. This wasn’t about mental health issues," Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said in court Monday, according to the newspaper. "(Aguirre) did it because he didn’t like him ... he believed Gabriel was gay and to him that was a bad thing ... he did it out of hatred of a little boy."
The beatings and torture began after Gabriel moved in with his mother and Aguirre, prosecutors said. The boy had been "happy and healthy" while living with his grandparents, according to the newspaper.
Aguirre weighed 270 pounds and stood 6-foot-2 and had worked as a security guard, Hatami told the Los Angeles courtroom. Gabriel weighed less than 60 pounds and stood 4-foot-1.
Gabriel died in 2013, one year after he moved in with the couple in Palmdale. His mother is also charged in his death.
"After eight months of living with the defendant ... his body was battered," Hatami said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. "The evidence will show he was beaten, burned, bruised."
Los Angeles paramedic James Cermak testified that there was an "unbelievable amount of trauma on his body," according to KTLA.
Aguirre's lawyer admitted in court that his client caused Gabriel's injuries, but said that Aguirre should not face the death penalty because he did not mean to end the life of the child.
"He is guilty of murder, but the special circumstance alleged, that he intended kill Gabriel with the infliction of torture, is not true," lawyer John Allan said, according to KTLA. "Despite the horrific abuse, Isauro never intended for Gabriel to die."
The couple told cops that the child "liked to hit himself, he was gay and he wanted to kill himself," according to the L.A. Daily News.
However, prosecutors allege that Aguirre and Gabriel's mother Pearl Fernandez plotted to kill the child.
"The defendant admitted that he hit Gabriel harder than he hit anyone else," Hatami charged in court, according to ABC 7. "He admitted hitting him 10 times in the head. This is a 6-foot-2, 270-pound man. (He hit him) 20 times in the body. He admitted that he lost count."
Colin Kaepernick explains protest of national anthem
SANTA CLARA, Ca. -- Forty Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick has willingly and knowingly immersed himself into controversy by refusing to stand for the playing of the national anthem in protest of what he deems are wrongdoings against African Americans and minorities in the United States.
His latest refusal to stand for the anthem -- he has done this in at least one other preseason game -- came before the 49ers preseason loss to Green Bay at Levi's Stadium.
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game against Green Bay. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
The 49ers issued this statement: "The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pre-game ceremony. It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens. In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem."
By taking a stand for civil rights, Kaepernick, 28, joins other athletes, like the NBA's Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and several WNBA players in using their platform and status to raise awareness to issues affecting minorities in the U.S.
However, refusal to support the American flag as a means to take a stand has brought incredible backlash before and likely will in this instance. The NBA's Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf of the Denver Nuggets, formerly Chris Jackson before converting to Islam, refused to acknowledge the flag in protest, citing similar reasons as Kaepernick and saying that it conflicted with some of his Islamic beliefs.
Abdul-Rauf drew the ire of fans and was briefly suspended by the NBA before a compromise was worked out between the league and player, who eventually stood with his teammates and coaches at the playing of the national anthem.
Kaepernick said that he is aware of what he is doing and that he knows it will not sit well with a lot of people, including the 49ers. He said that he did not inform the club or anyone affiliated with the team of his intentions to protest the national anthem.
"This is not something that I am going to run by anybody," he said. "I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. ... If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right."
Kaepernick said that he has thought about going public with his feelings for a while but that "I felt that I needed to understand the situation better."
He said that he has discussed his feelings with his family and, after months of witnessing some of the civil unrest in the U.S., decided to be more active and involved in rights for black people. Kaepernick, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by white parents and siblings.
Kaepernick's Twitter feed is filled with civil rights Tweets and messages.
The former Super Bowl starting quarterback's decision to go public comes while he is fighting for his football life with the 49ers, who drafted him in the second round in 2011. He lost his starting job last season after being one of the most promising players in the NFL during his run under former coach Jim Harbaugh.
Over the past few months, his relationship with management has turned sour. He requested a trade last spring, which never came to fruition. He also has spent most of the offseason rehabilitating from operations to his left (non-throwing) shoulder, his hand and knee. That left him unable to fully compete with Blaine Gabbert for months and now, just weeks before the regular season starts, has him seemingly in a bind to regain his starting job.
He made his preseason debut against the Packers and played for the second quarter, completing two of six passes for 14 yards. He looked as rusty as you'd expect from someone who has not played since last November.
Following the game and without any knowledge of Kaepernick's non-football behavior, coach Chip Kelly said that there has never been any discussion about cutting Kaepernick.
Published on Oct 23, 2017Occurred on October 21, 2017 / Posadas, Argentina
"While my son was playing, a lightning stroke in a backwoods tree. I tried to spread this video to make people realize that nature has changed a lot in these times due to global warming and you have to be more careful, both in a storm and also within your own house, because if the children had been watching TV or playing video games when the lightning stroke, it would have been deadly. All my electrical appliances burned."
Or the guy with no costume at the Halloween party. Why the fuck do you even come if you do not participate? Niggas always have to be different. That why I laugh at you from the inside. 
