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Jake Haro, 32, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty last month
to the second-degree murder of his son, Emmanuel, the Riverside
County District Attorney's office said in a statement. A
monthslong investigation has failed to locate the child’s
remains.
Haro and his wife, Rebecca, had reported the baby was kidnapped
outside a store in Southern California in August, saying Rebecca
Haro was attacked and left unconscious while changing the boy's
diaper. The case drew widespread attention as authorities and
members of the public fanned out to search for the boy.
The couple were arrested a little more than a week later at
their home in the desert community of Cabazon, some 20 miles (32
kilometers) west of Palm Springs, after Rebecca Haro was
confronted about inconsistencies in their account.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk sentenced Haro
to seven years and two months in prison for a probation
violation and other charges, then 25 years to life for assault
on a child under age 8, according to the Press-Enterprise. The
sentences will run consecutively. Haro was also ordered to pay
$10,000 in restitution.
Rebecca Haro, 41, has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1
million bail. She is due to appear in court in January.
Riverside County prosecutors asked for Jake Haro to be sentenced
to 31 years to life in prison for killing Emmanuel and for
assaulting another child in 2018. Haro pleaded guilty to child
endangerment for causing severe and lasting injuries to his
then-10-month-old daughter and was given a 6-year suspended
prison term that prosecutors said should now be applied.
“Jake Haro murdered seven-month-old Emmanuel but, in reality, he
comes before this court having taken the lives of two young
children. If there are lower forms of evil in this world, I am
not aware of them,” Brandon Smith, assistant district attorney
in Riverside County, wrote in court filings.
A message seeking comment was sent to Jake Haro's attorney,
Allison Lowe.
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