Pearl Fernandez is very much alive and currently serving her punishment in California Chowchilla state women’s prison for the murder of her son, Gabriel Fernandez. On May 24, 2013, Gabriel passed away after being tortured and abused by his mother and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre.
Exactly two days after the demise of Pearl Fernandez’s son, she was arrested and charged with first-degree murder alongside Isauro Aguirre. If you are wondering what happened afterward, worry less because this article contains everything you need to know.
Pearl Fernandez was Raised in an Abusive Family
Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was born 40 years ago to her parents, Robert and Sandra Fernandez. Pearl’s childhood isn’t one any child would wish for, as her mom physically hit her and did not show affection towards her. To make matters worse, her dad made jail his second home.
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone except Pearl Fernandez pic.twitter.com/y7PFqn9b6B
— Karina Ochoa (@KarinaVasqz1) May 10, 2020
As a young girl who lacked parental care, she was involved in social vices and was a victim of rape. Years passed, and Pearl fought her way through suicidal thoughts and had four children with Arnold Contreras, including Gabriel Fernandez, who she abandoned three days after his delivery.
What Happened to Pearl Fernandez?
Exactly 10 years ago, Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were both charged and convicted of first-degree murder. Before the demise of her son, Gabriel Fernandez, Pearl and Isauro constantly abused and tortured her children but majorly assaulted Gabriel.
This abuse includes physical beatings, serving Gabriel spoiled and expired food, burning his skin with cigarettes, feeding him his vomit, and other outrageous punishments. Moreover, all of these happened within the space of eight months after she regained custody of him from his grandparents.
Pearl Fernandez and Her Partner Beat Gabriel Fernandez to Stupor on May 22, 2013
Pearl Fernandez
Isauro Aguirre
Stefanie Rodriguez
Patricia Clement
Kevin Bom
Gregory Merritt
Only a few of, but not all of the people who failed you. I’m sorry the system didn’t do enough to save you. You didn’t deserve this. Rest In Peace baby boy. ???????????? #gabrielfernandez pic.twitter.com/v7pYuNAdbU— jade (@jaderamirezz_) March 1, 2020
However, the incident that led to her arrest was the beating she and her boyfriend gave Gabriel for failing to clean up his toys which occurred on May 22, 2013. In the past, when events like this happened, neighbors around reported them to social workers with the Los Angeles County Department of children and family services.
After she was satisfied with beating her son, Pearl noticed that Gabriel wasn’t breathing and called the emergency number to report it. On the arrival of the responders, they found Gabriel lying naked on the ground and covered with multiple injuries which he sustained.
While some of the officers rushed Gabriel to the hospital, the remaining officers stayed back to question Pearl and Isauro. Isauro’s irrelevant response to the brutal beating he gave Gabriel was “he was gay.” Sadly, Gabriel, who was sent to the hospital, was declared brain dead by the doctors.
The Couple were Arrested on May 23, 2013, and Charged with First Degree of Murder
On May 23, 2013, Pearl and Isauro were arrested and charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture; specifically, Pearl Fernandez was arrested for felony child endangerment while Isauro Aguirre was arrested for attempted murder.
Sadly, on May 24, 2013, at the children’s hospital in Los Angeles, Gabriel Fernandez was declared dead. The autopsy report about the cause of his death read he suffered from blunt force trauma, child neglect, and malnutrition.
The Social Workers Who Had Prior Knowledge of Gabriel’s Abuse but Did Nothing Were Fired
Do you recall when the neighbors reported to social workers for aid in rescuing Gabriel Fernandez from his mother and her boyfriend’s abuse turned out the incompetent workers assigned to his case named Stephanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt did nothing but neglect and falsified public records?
However, over 50 complaints about Pearl Fernandez’s son’s maltreatment were brought to their notice. One of which was from his teacher Jennifer Gracia who noticed the bruises on Gabriel’s body and called the child welfare hotline immediately. She continuously reached out whenever she noticed he was abused, yet nothing was done except empty promises.
After his demise, the Los Angeles County Department of children and family services fired the workers assigned to Pearl Fernandez’s son’s case and sued them for child neglect and falsification of public records. However, the charges against them were dropped in 2020 as the court ruled against the failure of fulfilling their duties was a criminal offense and didn’t consist of child abuse.
Pearl Fernandez Pleaded Guild to the Murder Charges Against Her
While being tried, prosecutors argued that the death penalty was the best punishment to serve for what Pearl Fernandez did to her son, Gabriel Fernandez. After several trials, Pearl pled guilty to the charge of felony child endangerment on February 15, 2018.
During her trial in court, she apologized for what happened and wished she made better choices. Also, she begged her other children to forgive her and wanted them to know she loved them. Above all and admitted she hoped Gabriel never died.
As a result of Pearl Fernandez’s plea, the death penalty against her was changed. She was sentenced to life imprisonment instead without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture at Central California Women’s Facility.
Where Is Pearl Fernandez Now?
On June 21, 2018, Pearl Fernandez was admitted into the facility, where she served her punishment. However, on April 8, 2021, the convict filed a petition requesting to be re-sentenced. The petition was rejected by the court judge as she was not entitled to what she wanted.
What Became of Pearl Fernandez’s Accomplice: Isauro Aguirre?
WHEN THEY ASK ME ABOUT PURE EVIL ? PEARL FERNANDEZ-ISAURO AGUIRRE… @netflix @NetflixFR ????????#GabrielFernandez pic.twitter.com/1lK6GbR8qY
— …THE WAVE????… (@JBonaventure_) March 3, 2020
After the demise of Gabriel Fernandez, Aguirre was charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture, and he pled not guilty to those. In September 2017, his trial began with a jury composition of 7 women and 5 men.
This was to last for 6 weeks. On November 14, 2017, Jury deliberation began, and the next day a verdict was attained. He was found guilty of the charges. On the 13th day of December, he was sentenced to death by the court judge. On June 13, he was admitted to San Quentin State prison, where he awaits execution.
For some background information, Isauro Aguirre was born on June 13, 1980. There isn’t much information about his family and background. Isauro dropped out of school, indicating he had a learning disability. Afterward, he started working as a caregiver and driving for a retirement hotel and was great at it. Aguirre came in contact with Pearl Fernandez and began dating for about two years before they regained custody of Pearl’s son.
Is Pearl Fernandez Still Alive?
Pearl Fernandez is still alive and serving her jail time. However, people have always been speculating about the possibility of her demise, being that she was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. However, Pearl is very much alive and now experiences physical assault from her fellow inmates in prison.
