According to authorities, a youth soccer coach in Southern California who was charged with the murder of a 13-year-old boy last month is also suspected of attacking at least two other teenagers in the past few years.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino is accused of killing Oscar Omar Hernandez and disposing of his body on the side of the road.
Garcia-Aquino made a brief court appearance on Tuesday; his arraignment was set for April 30.
With the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of sexual acts with a child, Garcia-Aquino, 43, was charged with one count of murder.
He faces the death penalty or life in jail without the chance of release due to the charges.
Additionally, prosecutors charged him on Tuesday with one felony count of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense against a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale, north of Los Angeles, in February 2024, and a sexual offense or lewd act upon a child involving a teenager around 14 or 15 years old at Garcia-Aquino’s former residence in the LA suburb of Sylmar in 2022.
The 13-year-old boy’s relatives reported him missing. Prosecutors said on Monday that he visited the bus in Lancaster, north of Los Angeles, on March 30 after boarding a train. A few days later, his body was discovered in Ventura County, which is northwest of Los Angeles.
Gladys Bautista, the boy’s mother, described her son as a content child who cherished soccer.
“He didn’t need to be treated like an animal. That was my son,” Bautista stated during a news conference last week.
Garcia-Aquino is from El Salvador, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated in an email to The Associated Press that they have asked local law enforcement to alert ICE prior to his release and detain him until he can be taken into federal custody for deportation.
Although collaboration between law enforcement and immigration officials is typically prohibited by California’s sanctuary law, there are some exceptions for people convicted of violent crimes.
Another School on Long Island Rebrands Following Native American Nickname Controversy
In an email, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded, “The suspect’s immigration status is not part of the investigation,” when asked if it would alert ICE if Garcia-Aquino was freed.
Garcia-Aquino’s legal team, the LA County Public Defender’s Office, conveyed their sympathies to the victim’s family.
“We will be reviewing the evidence in this case and will vigorously defend against these serious charges,” Angela Cheung with the office’s Major Cases Unit stated. “At this time, we have no further comment.”
Peanut Recall in Two States Prompted by Customer’s Severe Allergic Reaction, FDA Alerts
According to Sheriff Robert Luna, Garcia-Aquino worked with several age groups as a youth travel coach for the Hurricane Valley boys soccer club in the Sylmar region.
The California State Soccer Association — South, or Cal South, offers licensing courses for many youth soccer coaches.
Source: AP News
