California Man Convicted Of Killing 8-Year-Old Boy For Being Gay

Curtis M. Wong

A California man has been convicted of torturing and killing his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son, driven the prosecution argued by his belief that the boy was gay.

Isauro Aguirre was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the May 2013 death of Gabriel Fernandez. A jury must now decide whether Aguirre, 37, should receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering Gabriel, who was declared brain dead and taken off life support two days after paramedics arrived at his home in Palmdale, California.

At the time of his death, Gabriel had a cracked skull, three broken ribs and BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin. Authorities said the boy had been starved, fed cat litter and his own vomit, doused with pepper spray, and tied up and forced to sleep in a closet, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami argued at trial that Aguirre had abused Gabriel “because he didn’t like him … he believed Gabriel was gay, and to him, that was a bad thing.” Aguirre also made Gabriel wear girls’ clothes to school, Hatami said.

The prosecutor characterized Aguirre as an “evil” man who “liked torturing” Gabriel and did so systematically, according to CBS Los Angeles. He compared the abuse to that suffered by a prisoner of war.

“He was belittled, bullied and called gay. His teeth were knocked out. He was tied up every night in a box,” Hatami said. What Aguirre did in killing the little boy “had nothing to do with drugs [or] mental health issues,” Hatami added, but was simply “intentional murder by torture.”

Defense attorney Michael Sklar acknowledged that his client had killed Gabriel, but argued that Aguirre had “acted in a rage of anger, followed by an explosion of violence” because the boy’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, had threatened to leave him, CBS Los Angeles reports.

A second defense attorney, John Allan, argued that Aguirre had difficulty handling stressful and chaotic situations. “Despite the horrific abuse,” Allan told the jury, “Isauro never intended for Gabriel to die.”

After the verdict was read, Hatami was seen crying as he embraced Gabriel’s biological father in court, according to KABC. In a later news conference, the prosecutor identified himself as a survivor of child abuse.

“I think that being a victim of child abuse, you feel powerless and no one’s there to help you,” he said. “People need to fight for children and others who can’t fight for themselves.”

Fernandez will tried separately next year. She has pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge.

Catch the latest in LGBTQ news by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.

Also on HuffPost

Christian Musicians Come Out As Queer

Being out in the Christian music industry could cost you your career. But&nbsp;in recent years, a number of queer Christian artists have taken that difficult step anyway. British rock star <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/vicky-beeching-viral-meme_us_58fa4cfce4b00fa7de140ffe">Vicky Beeching</a>&nbsp;(pictured here), Everyday Sunday's Trey Pearson, and&nbsp;country singer&nbsp;Ty Herndon are a few.

Christians Rally With Other Faith Groups For Transgender Rights

In 2016,&nbsp;<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/the-newest-opponents-of-north-carolinas-anti-transgender-law-faith-groups-85ea1fe177f4" target="_blank">progressive religious&nbsp;activists strongly opposed </a>North Carolina's HB2 bill, which tried to force&nbsp;people to use the bathroom of the gender they were assigned at birth. In 2017, more than 1,800 religious leaders from a variety of denominations <a href="http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2017/03/1800_religious_leaders_advise.html" target="_blank">signed an amicus brief in support of Gavin Grimm</a>&nbsp;(pictured here), a transgender boy who was banned from using the boys' restroom at his school.

A New, Inclusive Christian College Campus Ministry Is Born

In May 2016,&nbsp;Christian activists formed a new campus ministry called <a href="http://www.john1.org/">Incarnation</a>. The group was founded on principles of racial equality and LGBTQ inclusion. Incarnation has <a href="http://www.john1.org/chapters.html" target="_blank">chapters on at least five campuses across the country</a>&nbsp;and has partnered with four other organizations.

The Episcopal Church Refuses To Back Down On Equality

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/07/01/why-the-episcopal-church-is-still-debating-gay-marriage/?utm_term=.9873ad1a71f6" target="_blank">In 2015</a>, the bishops of the Episcopal Church decided to allow clergy members to perform same-sex weddings. The church defended that decision in 2016 in front of its international umbrella organization, the Anglican Communion. That resulted in a three-year suspension from the Anglican Communion -- but the Episcopalians&nbsp;didn't back&nbsp;down.&nbsp;<br />Michael Curry, the Episcopal Church&rsquo;s presiding bishop, said after the suspension that &ldquo;Many of us have committed ourselves and our church to being &lsquo;a house of prayer for all people,&rsquo; as the Bible says, [where]&nbsp;all are truly welcome."

The Rev. Karen Oliveto Becomes The Methodist Church's First Openly Gay Bishop

Bishop Karen Oliveto&nbsp;became the United Methodist Church's first married lesbian&nbsp;bishop in <a href="http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/western-jurisdiction-elects-openly-gay-united-methodist-bishop" target="_blank">2016</a>. The denomination's top court&nbsp;later found that she was in violation of a church law that bars&nbsp;clergy who are <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/06/gay-bishop-karen-oliveto-supporters-lgbtq-movement/" target="_blank">&ldquo;self-avowed practicing homosexuals"</a>&nbsp;but <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/06/gay-bishop-karen-oliveto-supporters-lgbtq-movement/" target="_blank">decided not to remove her from her post.</a>&nbsp;Although she may be suspended or forced to retire in the future, Oliveto remains sure that her presence&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/theology/bishop-karen-oliveto-my-presence-changes-conversation-lgbtq-people" target="_blank">"changes the conversation."<br /><br />"It's no longer an issue. It's about people,"</a>&nbsp;she told Religion News Service.

A Pastor Who Conducted His Gay Son's Wedding Is 'Refrocked'

Rev. Frank Schaefer, a United Methodist Church minister, had his ministerial credentials revoked in 2013 after he presided over his gay son's wedding. Schaefer continued to speak out and in <a href="http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/panel-orders-schaefers-credentials-restored" target="_blank">2014, an appeals committee reinstated him as a minister.</a>

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Embraces LGBT-Inclusive Definition Of Marriage

Since 2014, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), America&rsquo;s largest Presbyterian denomination, has allowed its pastors to officiate same-sex ceremonies. In March 2015, the church <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/17/pcusa-lgbt-book-of-order_n_6885966.html">adopted a more inclusive definition of marriage in its constitution</a>, describing it as a union &ldquo;between two people.&rdquo;

Ex-Gay Ministry Exodus International Shuts Down

Exodus International was a Christian ministry that promoted&nbsp;conversion&nbsp;therapy, which attempts to alter&nbsp;a person's sexuality or gender identity to fit with heterosexual or cisgender norms. The harmful practice has been<a href="http://www.hrc.org/resources/policy-and-position-statements-on-conversion-therapy" target="_blank"> thoroughly discredited by psychologists&nbsp;and medical experts</a>, but it was peddled by Exodus International for 37 years. In 2013, the organization's president <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/20/us/exodus-international-shutdown/" target="_blank">issued an apology </a>for the harm it has caused to queer people&nbsp;and announced that the ministry was shutting down. Although other conversion therapy groups <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/ex-gay-christian-exodus-lgbt_n_3475024.html">pledged to take up the mantle, </a>Exodus International's closure&nbsp;was a pivotal moment for conservative Christians in America, and since then, many conservative leaders <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/how-christians-turned-against-gay-conversion-therapy/390570/" target="_blank">have actually&nbsp;denounced conversion therapy.</a>

The Chicago Consultation Meets In Africa

The Chicago Consultation is a group of&nbsp;Episcopal and Anglican clergy and lay people who work toward full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians in the Anglican Communion. In 2015, the group had its third meeting in Africa, this time in Elmina, Ghana. The <a href="http://www.broderickgreer.com/about/" target="_blank">Rev. Broderick Greer</a>, an Episcopal priest and queer theologian, described the important work of this group in an email to HuffPost.&nbsp;<br />"Every day, I heard a new story about the ingenious ways they were resisting stigma around HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ visibility, and equitable access to health care. People from five different countries told stories of courage and resilience motivated by a nagging sense that their full humanity should and will be affirmed. The small scale and quiet setting of the gathering is indicative of the manner in which social transformation often takes place: over a drink, in a huddle, or elbow-to-elbow."

Mormons March At Pride

<a href="http://mormonsbuildingbridges.org/" target="_blank">Mormons Building Bridges</a> brings together members of the Church of Jesus&nbsp;Christ of Latter-day Saints who want to show support for the queer community. In 2012, this group marched at Utah Pride for the first time. For&nbsp;John Gustav-Wrathal, a gay Mormon activist, this was an iconic moment.&nbsp;<br /><br />"Since then, there have been some crushing, traumatizing moments as well. ... Most of the hope has come from queer Mormons themselves. Attendance at Affirmation conferences has quadrupled since 2012," he told HuffPost. "LGBT Mormons are coming together in a spectacular way and finding new ways to provide mutual support and engage with their faith."

A Gay Couple Become The Pastors Of A Historic D.C. Church

The Calvary Baptist Church in Washington hired&nbsp;Sally Sarratt and Maria Swearingen as the leaders of their&nbsp;155-year-old congregation in 2017. The Baptist ministers<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gay-couple-will-lead-historic-dc-church-with-a-vision-of-justice_us_5876797ce4b03c8a02d4bf2c" target="_blank"> told HuffPost their mission is</a> "to sit at bedsides, to march for justice, to proclaim &lsquo;belovedness&rsquo; when the world (sometimes even the religious world) proclaims &lsquo;otherness,&rsquo; and to set the table of hospitality for those who need it most."

Transgender Pastors Celebrate Mass In Cuba

As part of a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/transgender-mass-cuba_us_5914dedde4b0031e737c710f?ysa">conference on queer theology in 2017,</a> three pastors from Brazil, Canada and the United States flew into Cuba to lead an LGBTQ-friendly worship service. The mass is believed to be a first for Cuba.&nbsp;<br />One participant, a&nbsp;26-year-old Cuban trans woman named&nbsp;Malu Duardo, told <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-lgbt-church-idUSKBN1830EZ" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, "I leave with having learnt a lot of things I can share with other trans, in particular that there is a God for everyone."

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.