California Couple Who Tortured, Killed 10-Year-Old Anthony Avalos Gets Life in Prison

A California court has sentenced a woman and her boyfriend to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the torture and murder of the woman's 10-year-old son, Anthony Avalos.

According to ABC7, 33-year-old Heather Maxine Barron, and 37-year-old Kareem Ernesto Leiva, were convicted in a non-jury trial on March 7 of first-degree murder and torture for Avalos' death on June 21, 2018.

After more than two hours of heartbreaking remarks from the boy's relatives and friends, Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta found the California couple guilty and sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday morning.

As he explained his sentencing decision, Ohta said: "Anthony was a helpless child who was dependent (on the defendants)... for his basic physical needs and emotional support. Instead, Anthony was tortured and killed."

Barron and Leiva remained silent throughout the proceedings.

California Couple Intentionally Kills Anthony Avalos, Says Prosecutor

Heather Maxine Barron called 911 on June 20, 2018, and Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies responded by going to their house. Officers were told that the boy had been injured in a fall.

The following day, Anthony Avalos died in a hospital. He was dehydrated and malnourished, according to the doctors. ABC News reported that the prosecutors claimed Avalos was intentionally tortured to death.

They said that for years, the boy and his three siblings were often subjected to beatings and whippings with a belt and being dumped on their heads, slammed into the floor or furniture, burned with cigarettes, and even denied water and food at times or forcibly fed.

The prosecutors accused Leiva of spraying hot sauce in the children's faces, forcing them to fight each other and punish the loser, and forcing the children to kneel for long periods on concrete floors, nails, or uncooked rice, or squat until they fell over.

Barron's lawyer claimed that her client was also a victim of Leiva's abuse. Thus, she could not stop his violent behavior toward the kids.

The boy's father and three siblings filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County last year, and the county eventually settled the case for $32 million.

A home counseling contractor sued by the boy's family settled out of court for $3 million. The lawsuit claimed that 13 reports of abuse allegations involving Avalos were ignored by the county Department of Children and Family Services.

These reports came from family members, teachers, counselors, and law enforcement. The department never tried to remove the boy from the home.

Anthony Avalos' Aunt Compares Heather Barron to Gabriel Fernandez's Mother

Anthony Avalos' aunt made an emotional plea in court on Tuesday, just hours before the California couple was sentenced to life in prison.

Avalos' aunt Maria Barron, the sister of Heather Maxine Barron, had compared her sister to Pearl Fernandez, the mom of Gabriel Fernandez, convicted of torturing and killing her 8-year-old son, Fox11 reported.

"You once told me that you would never be like Pearl Fernandez. I remember that day. We sat there talking about Gabriel Fernandez and how those horrible monsters took that young child's life," Maria said in front of the judge.

"Guess what? You're just like her. Even worse. You tortured your kids. You failed your kids," she added.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Anthony Avalos' Mother, Her Boyfriend Sentenced to Life Without Parole - From ABC7