Pearl Fernandez’s story of unspeakable torture of her 8-year-old son has become an infamous anecdote when it comes to the narration of first-degree murders. Gabriel Fernandez, 8 was fatally abused and tortured by Pearl and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre. Let’s get to know about this monstrous woman.
Who is Pearl Fernandez?
Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was born in 1983 to Robert and Sandra Fernandez. Her childhood was extremely turbulent as his father spent most of his time in jail. She got beaten as a child by her mother. At just 9, she started consuming methamphetamine and alcohol.
She is a school dropout and as a teenager, Pearl was raped by her uncle and a series of men who raped her for days. She was even hospitalized for having suicidal thoughts. However, it has been revealed by her relatives that she was controlling and abusive towards her boyfriends.
Married Life
Pearl married Arnold Contreras and had four children with her including Gabriel. She abandoned him just after his birth. She portrayed herself as a victim of her boyfriends’ abuse but her relatives revealed that it was Pearl who abused her partners and children.
Pearl’s Mental Health
Pearl Fernandez was diagnosed with a series of mental health issues like personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, development disability, depressive disorder and much more.
Clinical psychologist Deborah S. Miora conducted a cognitive test in 2011 and revealed that Fernandez is “virtually unable to use thoughts to guide her behaviour and control her emotional reactions.”
Pearl has pending charges of stabbing Arnold Contreras. She started abusing the opioid drugs Oxycodone and Norco just after Gabriel’s death and had a history of criminal acts. During Gabriel’s murder trial, her defence argued that she had a low IQ.
However, the judge correctly interpreted that “It has been established by her admission during her guilty plea that the murder was intentional and involved the infliction of torture for several months.”
I believe that she should have never got custody of Gabriel even if for once, we believe that she suffered from such severe mental disorders. It comes as heart-breaking truth that authorities can follow such a lackadaisical approach when it comes to a child’s safety. Such humans pose a serious threat to their own families and society at large.
Gabriel’s heartbreaking Murder
The world can be a sad place. Gabriel Fernandez was barely 8 when he was brutally murdered by his mother and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre. He was tortured by Pearl Fernandez for months which led to his death on May 24, 2013.
The sad part is that the red flags were all over the place but no one cared. Had the authorities taken prompt action, Gabriel would have still been breathing. Pearl was previously convicted of using a weapon against an inmate. There were complaints that she did not feed her daughter.
Despite this, she got back the custody of her son. She even forced her son for oral sex. And then, the social workers neglected complaints of her torture against Gabriel. The Sheriff’s Department was aware of this abuse but did nothing.
Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre were both convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture. However, Aguirre was sentenced to death and Pearl pleaded guilty so she was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Pearl’s acts of Torture
Gabriel Daniel Fernandez was born in the year 2005 in Palmdale, CA. During his eight-month stay with his mother, several neighbours reported signs of abuse to social workers but nothing was done in this regard. During the trial, four social workers from the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services were criminally charged.
Pearl surpassed all boundaries of what we call torture. It comes as a shock to mothers all over the world that someone could harm her child in such devious ways. It may be hard to read but the Los Angeles Superior court concluded that she regularly inflicted physical beatings on Gabriel that caused broken bones.
Not only this, Gabriel was forced to eat cat litter and faeces, his vomit, expired food, shot in places with a BB gun, burnt with cigarettes, pepper-sprayed, forced to wear women’s clothing. My hands shake to further narrate that both Pearl and her boyfriend laughed as the little boy got tortured.
The Netflix documentary Trials of Gabriel Fernandez reveals these incidents at length and how Pearl got convicted along with her boyfriend. The documentary also narrates subsequent reactions of media and local government authorities after Gabriel’s murder.
Netizen’s Reactions
Netizens were happy to know that Pearl was having a tormented experience in prison. One person wrote on Twitter, “Pearl Fernandez is in my mom’s prison where she works and she’s been getting her a** beat.” FYI, prison authorities rarely grant transfers to such prisoners but her death was just a rumour. She is alive.
Another person tweeted, “My cousin’s co-worker worked at the jail Pearl Fernandez is at and said she got her ass whooped three times and had to be isolated.” Check out these tweets:
#PearlFernandez clearly is eating well in jail?! Astonishing that she is eating and living better now in prison than her poor son #GabrielFernandez did. She should be made to eat cat litter and sleep in a cupboard like she made her son do 💔 https://t.co/sbPQ33ygk9
— Laura 🌻🌈🔆 (@LauzSassAndSoul) February 27, 2020
What the face of evil looks like!!
😑😑😑#PearlFernandez #IsauroAguirre#GabrielFernandez 💔 pic.twitter.com/iawk23hTjg— Shanalia (@Shanaliag) February 27, 2020
A tribute to #GabrielFernandez who would have been been celebrating his 15th birthday last week, was it not for his brutal tortur and murder in the hands of two monsters, his biological mother #PearlFernandez and her boyfriend, #IsauroAguirre. May he #restinpeace.#childabuse pic.twitter.com/ya50OU509r
— Aroutin Hartounian (@HartounianEsq) February 29, 2020
Pearl’s conviction
Pearl Fernandez is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder with special circumstances of torture at Central California Women’s Facility. She was sent to the facility on June 21, 2018.
There were rumours that several inmates tortured and killed her because of her gruesome acts against her child. However, the prison authorities did not release an official statement regarding the same. Well, let me tell you that she is very much alive and deserves the death penalty.
Pearl filed a petition in 2021 seeking a re-sentence. Thankfully, it got dismissed by the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli. The court order stated that she was not entitled to re-sentencing relief.
Pearl’s partner Aguirre pleaded “not guilty” but the jury found him guilty and recommended a death sentence. He was sent to the San Quentin State Prison in 2018 and still awaits execution per the moratorium on capital punishment issued by the governor. He is currently serving his sentence in Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
Shockingly, Pearl released a statement before her conviction. She said, “I want to say I’m sorry to my family for what I did … I wish Gabriel was alive. Every day I wish that I made better choices.” Well, everything falls short after what she did to her child.
Some people do not deserve chances. I wonder why she hasn’t been given the death penalty. Accepting a crime does not reduce the gravity of it. Moreover, how does she manage to even breathe? What do you think about her conviction? Shoot your thoughts.
I hope the gals in jail see fit to beat this witch everyday she is breathing just like she did her own son!!! How in God’s name can you do things like this is a mystery to me?? But I believe she should be tortured every day on earth and in the afterlife for what she has done!!! And for letting a scum boyfriend also do it makes my blood boil worse!!! I hope you rot in hell you psycho bitch and don’t say that you’re sorry for what you did, BECAUSE YOU DID IT AND YOU ENJOYED IT AND THAT MAKES YOU A MONSTER THAT DESERVES TO GET YOUR ASS BEAT EVERYDAY AND THEN SOME!! YOU COULD PICK ON A LITTLE BOY, BUT YOU CAN’T STAND UP TO A WOMAN?? I HATE YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!!!
Amen my thoughts Exactly…To be honest I cannot understand how, with what child abusers usually go through in jail are still alive. Dahmer murdered men a lot older and he’s no longer breathing, these two pieces of slime Tortured and Murdered a CHILD and they are still here? To top it all off that ignorant ass of a governor has put aside the executions because he’s nothing but a stupid little twit himself JC they PROVED that fat ass coward killed that little boy but he’s still breathing, eating and probably has a jail house boyfriend he’s messing with every night sinceche can’t get to pos Pearl. I am so glad I don’t live in California…it’s full of idiots
Dear # Gabriel Hernandez, I believe you had a guardian angel with you the whole time who tried to protect you from the evil of your mother and boyfriend. You were wrapped up in the wing’s of God so you didn’t feel ALL that pain and your sweet, sweet smile shows just how special you were!!! The system failed you MANY times but you are with God now forever and always sweet baby 💙 I keep you in my prayers and wish I could have saved you! Rest in peace Gabriel Hernandez and what a fitting name you have, #GABRIEL.
This woman and her fkn boyfriend should be beat every day they both should be put to death not only the boyfriend her too fn birch makes me sick ass fk knowing there are dumbasses like them breathing
Just finished watching the series.
They are both evil. She doesn’t deserve to be called his mother. Yes she gave birth to Gabriel, but she was never his mother. A mother protects her children, she doesn’t allow and help a boyfriend beat her child.
#justiceforgabriel
Rip Gabriel, you never deserved any of this and no one does. May you Rest In Peace and hopefully there was a guardian angel with you. Every kid deserves a parent but not every parent deserves a kid.
I’m a 36 year old former Marine I’m 6’2″ 250lbs. I deployed to Iraq 3 times. I’ve seen a lot of death. None of it ever broke me. This shit made me cry like a child. I want to fucking kill both of these animals! I want to kill everyone who failed Gabriel!. How could anyone do this or stand by and let it happen. I hope that everyone involved with this dies a horrific death and that God shows their souls the same mercy they had for this boy.
I may have not seen a lot of death but I do feel you there.
Dear, Gabriel I hate what they did to you you never deserved anything like that you deserve a better life and i hope you know that i wish i was there for you and ur mom deserves to die so does her boyfriend because how they tortured you and beat you but the sad thing that you did that made me cry is that you loved ur mom and still made a mothers day pictures and gifts for ur the point is that you loved your matter what she did to u so i hope ur safe now.
This is an incredibly horrific story, it shakes you to your core, makes you cry, makes you want revenge on Pearl and Isaurro. They were grown adults who could/should have chosen a different path and made better choices. They are the scum of the earth, no doubt. BUT, they most likely were not born this evil. Were there preexisting components of evil in their psyches at birth? Were abnormalities already in place at birth? Were there genetic predispositions to behave so cruelly and calloused ? Possibly. What happens? Those predispositions to cruel and evil behavior can be activated by traumas. Or given a loving, warm, nurturing environment, they don’t become activated and stay dormant, this doesn’t happen, Gabriel lives. I understand the strong reaction is to hold Isaurro and Pearl as solely responsible, but are they really? I do not think you can be outraged at their utter depravity and not take into account what was documented as having been done to Pearl. Isaurro we do not know his history. But let me offer this to ponder; what if there were a documentary shown first of Pearl’s story? She survives and then we see what she becomes later, how would you feel then? Still outraged, sad, angry, heartbroken for Gabriel for sure, but if he had survived, what would he have eventually become/turned out to be? Then would we say the same things about him as Pearl and Isaurro if he went on to beat his child? It is very seldom very black and white. Go back and pay close attention to the psychology discussed/broke down by the psychotherapist. Also he was in the beginning stages of becoming an aggressive/angry person because of what was being done to him. The teacher Jennifer Garcia recounted him kicking the wall, being angry at being told to pick up a pencil and such. His fellow classmates told of him beginning to be a little bit mean because of what was happening. So the transformation of sweet to mean and aggressive due to being helpless and no one stopping it and protecting him had begun.
Anger is a common way for children to display severe depression. Not EVERY kid who is beaten or who has a bad upbringing goes on to be offenders. He was so smart, he got reading awards, he made sweet Mother’s Day cards for his Mom even while he was suffering from her abuse. I think what you are talking about is nature vs nuture. Little bit of both is always needed.
Hi Shannon…I can understand what you are saying… but.. am a child I was mentally and physically horrifically abused by both parents,I for some reason got the brunt of abuse,I tried to take my life numerous times by the time I was 11 yet no one cared..so I ran away to the police and what do you think they did? Called my parents and all the police did was “scold” me for wasting police time.. eventually when 18 I got married to the first man I met to escape the abuse but unfortunately got abused by him aswell.
I am now a mother to a beautiful young lady who is confident and self assured..and because of what I endured changed the cycle of abuse … now I suffer from PTSD ..generalised anxiety disorder.. depression and alcoholism…I can understand that many many guardians parents etc cannot get passed the abuse..but it’s noooo excuse to carry it on…this poor child suffered by this evil woman and her partner makes my blood boil and hope they suffer in jail for the rest of their pathetic lives.
Possibly a factor but then if she was intellectually deficient, she should not be allowed to breed. She wasn’t intellectually bright enough to function then she couldn’t have possibly been intellectually bright enough to raise children.
Beautiful Gabriel,
The angel of The Lord Jesus was always with you. You were bought back to life many times after you first died only to die again. God was taking you home little darling, he was never going to let you come back to suffer anymore than you had. Praise the Merciful loving Saviour of mankind who spared you from such horror and evil hurting you again. You were so strong and full of love and God heard the cry off your heart when no flesh would hear you and help you. By you being as strong as you were and enduring those demons who hated you, you made a real change for humanity and you now rest in the arms of Jesus and his angels and have an amazing place in heaven. Although you were pure love and would never want your Mum to suffer, you surely reap what you sow, this is Gods Devine law for man and she will surely get the consequences she deserves. All too often we see this weak society of mankind preying upon the helpless and innocent, in demonic sickening ways. We must pray and have love and be selfless no matter our jobs or how much we want to pretend this is a wonderful world… God have mercy on the children of the world and reign your wrath on those who will die in their sins.
She needs to rot in hell
This bitch needs to be in the electric chair!!
I want to hold my two sons so close. And for god sakes, if someone doesnt want thier kids… please give them up. I’ll care for them- someone out there will. I swear its true.
It’s 9am, I’m shook, I should be working, now I want to cry.
RIP baby boy.
Their
When the mother said in her statement, “I hope when they come back to their sense..”(refering to her children). I become sick to my stomach! She didn’t show any remorse 😳😳
Same here, also she said she’s sorry to her family, what about Gabriel? She only wishes Gabriel was alive so she could afflict more torture with her fat coward boyfriend, the two scumbags can go hell!!, they can’t even fight anyone grown up, but both of them attacked a helpless little child, what kind of mother abuses her youngest child, neglects and treat the children differently, can you imagine, Gabriel, had to go through, neglect, physical and emotional abuse, watching them eat but he was starved, his cloth were taken away, the love was taken away, he was the only one not allowed to play, only one force to eat cat feces, only one to be beaten, only one to go sleep hungry in the cubby, they were already killing him mentally, his body was changing, unable to fight infection let alone heal the daily bruises he was getting by ongoing attack on this little body, bruised and on top more bruises, how painful it was for him, Pearl cracked his adult tooth, hitting him on face, head, broke his ribs, burnt his face with cigarette, black eye after black eye, not allowing him to heal, kept on afflicting more and more vicious attacks on her little child, what were they expecting, how can they not realise that he won’t survive, now I better not read any articles that Isauro the fat coward is also low IQ dumb ass, both of them can prentend that they good people front of social services, they both are evil. Can you imagine how Gabriel must of felt, that no one loves him, no ones there to stand up for him, this has really traumatised me. I don’t care if people say Pearl has low IQ levels or that she was abused, in that case she should of been more protective of her children, not outcast one of her children to meet her pleasure to abuse one of her child and letting her fat boyfriend touch her child like this, she’s No mother, she even abandoned him when he was born, it’s heartbreaking because all Gabriel wanted was to be loved by his mom, although he was being abused, he never stopped loving his mom. He really was a good little boy, I wish he was given to me by God, Gabriel deserves to be loved and cared for and much more