Parents Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Torture and Murder of 4-Year-Old Son: Case Echoes Previous Child Abuse Scandals in Los Angeles

On Tuesday, a Latin couple, Jose María Cuatro and Ursula Elaine Juárez, were sentenced to decades in prison after pleading no contest to charges of torture and murder of their 4-year-old son. Cuatro was sentenced to 32 years in prison, while Juárez received 22 years for the death of their son, Noah Four.

Initially, the couple had denied any wrongdoing in the boy’s death. In July 2019, they called emergency services claiming that he was drowning in the apartment complex pool where they lived. Hospital staff discovered signs of trauma on the child, who died the next morning. An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department followed, which led to the loss of custody for their three other children.

However, in 2020, a lawsuit was filed against Los Angeles County by the boy’s great-grandmother Evangelina Hernandez. She alleged that multiple reports of abuse had been filed with the Department of Children and Family Services prior to her grandson’s death. The deaths of Gabriel Fernandez in 2013 and Anthony Avalos in 2018 are also similar cases involving children who died due to abuse by their parents or legal guardians in Los Angeles.

In court, Maggie Hernandez referred to Cuatro as “an evil monster” and expressed her hope that they would never be released from prison. Ursula Elaine Juárez stated in a written statement that she did not like her son Noah Four.