December 13th 2023.
Veronica Aguilar, the California mother who was found guilty of sedating her 11-year-old son and hiding him in a closet resulting in his death, was sentenced this past December 8th to 25 years to life in prison.
Yonatan Daniel Aguilar was discovered lifeless in his family's Los Angeles home in August 2016. This prompted an investigation that led to Aguilar, 46, pleading no contest to the charge of assault on a child causing death before receiving her sentence.
Reports indicate that Yonatan weighed only 34 pounds at the time of his death, displaying pressure sores more commonly associated with elderly nursing home patients or those with prolonged immobilization. Authorities said the child died from the effects of multiple drugs, dehydration, and generalized neglect.
According to court records, Yonatan had been confined to the closet for three years leading up to his death. During a 2019 preliminary hearing, police testified that the boy appeared significantly younger than his actual age, describing him as "gaunt" and "frail."
Dr. Janet Arnold-Clark, a child abuse pediatrics specialist, testified in 2019 saying, "He was deprived of food for a very long time. Two inches in growth in 4 1/2 years is really marked and concerning, and the only real explanation of that is that he had been malnourished for several years."
During the recent sentencing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler characterized the case as "tragic" and acknowledged the profound fear and terror the boy must have experienced. Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott emphasized the gravity of the crime, stating that Aguilar's plea reflected an outcome commensurate with the years of neglect and abuse.
Detective Sandra Platero testified during the 2019 hearing, saying that Aguilar claimed her son was "pure evil." The detective outlined how Aguilar administered medication to sedate the child and forced him to sleep in a closet. The boy's stepfather, unaware of the situation, reported Yonatan's death to 911, dispelling earlier beliefs that the child was in Mexico with a family friend.
The case of Yonatan Daniel Aguilar is a tragic one, and the sentence of 25 years to life his mother has been given is commensurate with the years of neglect and abuse that he suffered. His death was caused by multiple drugs, dehydration, and generalized neglect, with his mother claiming he was "pure evil" and administering medication to sedate him and forcing him to sleep in a closet.
This case serves as an important reminder that child abuse and neglect are unacceptable, and that the consequences of such actions can be severe.
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