Authorities say baby's death was preventable

D.A. faults judge in an earlier case for not sending Emmanuel Haro's dad to prison.

- BY NATHAN SOLIS

ALLEN J. SCHABEN Los Angeles Times INDEPENDENT journalist Ahmed Bellozo reports from Riverside on Tuesday.

Authorities in the Inland Empire say the death of 7month-old Emmanuel Haro could have been prevented if the boy's father had been held in prison for a previous child abuse case.

A day after the infant's parents, Jake Haro, 32, and Rebecca Haro, 41, were charged in the child's murder, Riverside County Dist. Atty. Michael Hestrin joined the sheriffs of Riverside and San Bernardino counties to discuss the case, which has gained notoriety among the true crime mystery crowd.

They did not provide significant details about the case, but said they believe they know where Emmanuel's remains are and suggested that had Jake Haro been imprisoned, Emman uel would still be alive.

According to court records, Haro was arrested on suspicion of abusing a child in 2018 during a previous marriage. He pleaded guilty in 2023 and was given jail time and probation and ordered to participate in a work release program and take classes for child batterers, records show. He was subject to for a four-year prison sentence, but the judge in the case suspended that term. He completed the required programs and submitted proof to the court in May of this year, according to the case minutes.

At the time he was sentenced, prosecutors sought prison time, Hestrin said.

Instead, the judge gave Haro an “extra break,” according to Hestrin.