Religious beliefs at center of San Jose church exorcism death case
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Prosecutors called their final witness on Monday before a judge decides if a 3-year-old girl’s mother, uncle, and grandfather will stand trial for her exorcism death.
The girl, Arely Naomi Proctor, died on the floor of a San Jose church while her family members prayed, performed a tortuous exorcism, and attempted to cast an “evil demon” out of her, prosecutors said.
The girl’s mother called 911 to report that her daughter had died. Arely’s body was riddled with injuries when firefighters found her on Sept. 24, 2021, inside a small Pentecostal church, Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, in downtown San Jose.
Prosecutors charged Arely’s mother, 26-year-old Claudia Hernandez, 20-year-old uncle, Rene “Aaron” Hernandez Santos, and 60-year-old grandfather, Rene Trigueros Hernandez, with killing her together. The grandfather is the church’s pastor. All three previously pleaded not guilty.
San Jose Police Department Det. Mike Harrington was called to the stand Monday for the final day of a lengthy preliminary hearing. Defense attorneys attempted to show that SJPD homicide detectives held some sort of religious bias against the family.
Claudia’s defense attorney asked Harrington, “You wanted to explore the church they grew up in and their religious beliefs? You asked, ‘How does God speak to you?’ You asked, if a person was possessed and their needed medical help, would it be morally wrong to not take them for medical help?”
“Yes,” Harrington replied.
The pastor’s defense attorney, Dana Fite, said, “Had this been a more traditional religion, these officers would not have questioned the sanity of our clients. They have a bias against this particular religion.”
Claudia and her brother were born in El Salvador. Their father required a court Spanish translator for the hearing.
Prosecutors Rebekah Wise told the judge that detectives waited a full six months before they even arrested the mother. Instead of jumping to conclusions based on bias, the detectives conducted a thorough investigation, Wise asserted. Police arrested Arely’s mother on Jan. 31, 2022. Arely’s uncle and grandfather were arrested on May 11, 2022.
SJPD arrests three family members in child exorcism death
On Monday, a coroner testified that the girl had so many injuries — including blunt force trauma on her face and internal abdominal injuries — that it was impossible to know which injury was “the final blow.” Prosecutors also previously said investigators were unsure which family member was responsible for Arely’s lethal injury.
The coroner said she determined Arely’s cause of death was a combination of mechanical asphyxia and smothering, and her injuries included brain swelling, blood in the lungs, marks on the neck, and injuries inside the mouth. The victim weighed 38 pounds.
Court documents state, “Claudia, Aaron, and Rene were interviewed (by police) and stated that they believed Arely had been possessed by a demon and they were at the church to pray for her. They squeezed Arely and tried to induce vomiting in order to expel the demon. At some point, they realized that Arely had died.”
Inmates attack Rene Trigueros Hernandez in San Jose jail
Claudia’s defense attorney told the judge, “A critical issue in this case is intentional vs. unintentional. Intent is at the heart of this case. All three defendants said they had no intent to hurt Arely.”
The victim’s family members are not charged with murder. Instead, the trio is charged with felony assault on a child younger than eight causing death. If convicted they will face 25 years to life in prison.
Prosecutor Wise told the judge, “This is a child abuse case,” and she does not need to provide the family intended to kill the little girl.
Before the mother was arrested, she uploaded multiple YouTube videos of herself saying God “took” her daughter. Claudia says in one video dated January 2022, “It’s many reasons why God took her. At least she’s not suffering. She’s in a better place. God knows why he allowed these things. God is good.”
After Detective Harrington’s testimony concluded Monday, Wise and the three defense attorneys rested their case.
Judge Hanley Chew said he needs to view hours of videos, including SJPD officers’ body cameras and police interrogations, and hundreds of photographs, before he makes his ruling. Some of the photographs show the altar in the church where the girl died, firefighters standing in front of the altar, and the girl’s injuries. The majority of videos and photographs were not shown publicly in court.
Judge Chew’s ruling will determine whether the District Attorney’s Office has enough evidence to put Arely’s mother, uncle, and grandfather on trial. His ruling is slated to be announced in early April.
The three defendants are being held in a Santa Clara County jail without bail.
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