Los Angeles: Mother Charged In Murder Of Her 10-Year-Old Son

Anthony Avalos 

Heather Barron, the mother of 10-year-old Anthony Avalos, was arrested Friday and charged in the murder of the boy, who authorities say was the victim of child abuse.

Both the mother and boyfriend are accused of torturing the boy to death possibly in connection to his recently coming out saying "I like boys."

From The LA Times:

Heather Barron, 28, was arrested Friday morning and charged with murder, child abuse resulting in death, and torture, said Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Barron’s boyfriend, Kareem Leiva, 32, was also arrested earlier this week. He was charged Friday with murder, torture and assault on a child causing death, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Barron appeared in a Lancaster courtroom Friday, but her arraignment was postponed to Monday. Leiva, who is being treated for a laceration to his neck, will be arraigned after he is medically cleared. If convicted as charged, Barron faces a possible maximum sentence of 22 years to life in prison, and Leiva faces 32 years to life.

Anthony was found with severe injuries at his family’s apartment in Lancaster on June 20 and died the following day. Investigators classified the death as suspicious, and county officials removed other children from the home as the investigation continued.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for a comprehensive review of Anthony’s case history and shortcomings in the child welfare and law enforcement systems that may have contributed to his death.

Before he died, young Anthony had been beaten, starved, forced to eat food from garbage and locked in tiny spaces. Anthony has six siblings who were apparently subjected to the same horrors.

May Barron and Leiva rot in prison for the rest of their miserable lives.