A TOP prosecutor believes little Emmanuel Haro would still be alive had his dad been sent to prison over a previous child abuse case.
Michael Hestrin, the Riverside County, California, district attorney, ripped the decision the judge presiding over the case made.
Mike Hestrin, the Riverside County District Attorney, slammed a judge for not imprisoning Jake over a previous child abuse case[/caption]
Jake, 32, and Rebecca Haro, 41, have been charged with the murder of their seven-month-old son and are holed up behind bars.
They were charged with murder just a week after she claimed her son had been snatched and reported him missing.
The missing persons report sparked an urgent hunt to find Emmanuel, but chilling details started to emerge about Jake – including his past convictions.
In 2023, Jake was convicted over a previous child abuse case, but he avoided a prison sentence.
He allegedly left his daughter, who he had with a previous relationship, with a litany of injuries – including broken ribs, a partial skull fracture, and a broken leg.
Hestrin said the girl was permanently bed-ridden.
Jake struck a plea deal with the court, and was given a suspended sentence.
He was ordered to serve 180 days in a work release program and probation.
In a jailhouse interview, Jake claimed he was railroaded into accepting the plea, but the decision was ripped by Hestrin.
“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” he raged.
“That’s a shame and it’s an outrage.”
The top prosecutor, who serves as district attorney for Riverside County, claimed the justice system “broke down.”
“When our criminal justice system breaks down, I’m going to call it like it is and say it broke down,” he said.
Hestrin labeled the decision to spare Jake from a prison sentence “outrageous.”
Emmanuel hasn’t been found – more than two weeks after he was reported missing.
The disappearance of Emmanuel Haro
San Bernardino police are probing the disappearance of missing baby Emmanuel Haro. The U.S. Sun breaks down the timeline surrounding his disappearance.
August 14: Emmanuel’s mom, Rebecca, reports him missing. She claimed she was attacked near a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa.
August 15: San Bernardino cops issue a statement, saying the search for Emmanuel is ongoing. They reveal that he has not been found.
August 16: Cops say they cannot rule out foul play.
August 17: Police visit the Haro family home.
August 18: Police say they have conducted extensive searches in the Yucaipa and Cabazon areas. They also reveal that a large amount of surveillance footage has been reviewed.
August 19: San Bernardino cops probe an alleged sighting of Emmanuel. Police have also seized a car belonging to Emmanuel’s dad, Jake.
August 20: Cops say Emmanuel still hasn’t been found. Police also receive they are probing a fire that broke out near the Haro family home.
August 21: One week since Emmanuel disappeared.
August 22: Jake Haro and Rebecca Haro are arrested and charged with murder. Police continue to search for little Emmanuel.
August 26: The Riverside County District Attorney officially charged Jake and Rebecca Haro with murder with malice and filing a false police report.
September 4: Jake and Rebecca Haro will appear in court for their arraignment. They are being held on $1 million bail each
Hestrin claimed investigators have a “strong indication” of where Emmanuel’s body may be.
Rumors surfaced that Jake had confessed to killing Emmanuel before the speculation was later debunked.
A source told NewsNation journalist Brian Entin that cops used a fake inmate to persuade Jake to make the confession.
Entin then suggested Jake told the informant he killed Emmanuel and put his body in a trash can.
The source then claimed Jake changed his story, telling the informant he suffocated Emmanuel while he was sleeping.
Entin’s source claimed Jake buried the baby’s body near a freeway.
Hestrin strongly denied the theory, stressing: “I can tell you that’s not true.”
The theory surfaced after Jake was seen searching rugged terrain near California’s Freeway 60, alongside officers.
But, that effort proved futile as Emmanuel’s remains were not found.
SEARCH CONTINUES
Ex-prosecutor Bobby Taghavi, who previously worked on the Golden State Killer Task Force, alluded to the challenges officers will face as they desperately try to find the boy.
“While it becomes more challenging with each passing day, it’s certainly not impossible,” he told The U.S. Sun.
Rebecca has begged cops to allow her to search for her son.
“I want to be out looking for my baby,” she said in a jailhouse interview with the Orange County Register.
Rebecca claimed she was ambushed outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa – a city located more than 70 miles from Los Angeles.
She claimed she heard a man’s voice before losing consciousness.
Rebecca said she was changing Emmanuel’s diaper when the alleged ambush happened.
But, foul play wasn’t ruled out as cops detected inconsistencies in her accounts.
It was then reported that Rebecca started to become uncooperative with cops.
She reportedly refused to complete a polygraph test.
Police eventually ruled that Emmanuel wasn’t kidnapped.
But, throughout the search and even in jail, Rebecca doubled down on her claims that Emmanuel was taken.
Rebecca and Jake are due to appear in court on September 4 for their arraignment hearing.
Emmanuel Haro’s body hasn’t been found[/caption]
Questions remain over where Emmanuel’s remains are[/caption]
