Tragedy in Los Angeles: Mother Sentenced for Starving Special Needs Son to Death in Closet


Veronica Aguilar, a Los Angeles mother, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the death of her 11-year-old son, Yonatan. Yonatan, who had special needs, was found dead in a closet, weighing only 34 pounds - the same as a typical 3-year-old.

Judge Larry Paul Fidler called the case "tragic" and acknowledged the "terror and fear" Yonatan must have endured. Retired detective Moses Castillo believes Yonatan would have forgiven his mother.

Prosecutor Alexander Bott called Yonatan's death "unjust" and "reflective of the gravity of the crime committed." He said Yonatan had been neglected and abused for years.

Earlier, a detective testified that Aguilar described her son as "pure evil" and claimed he had once threatened her other children. She admitted to giving him medication to keep him calm and hiding him in a closet without her husband's knowledge.

Aguilar was arrested in 2016 after her husband found Yonatan dead in a closet. The boy showed signs of malnutrition and physical abuse. He had been dead for several hours.

Court records indicate that Yonatan was kept in closets for three years before his death. He was known to his friends as "Chubby." Teachers reported that he often came to school hungry and with injuries. They also reported that his mother had withdrawn him from school, claiming he was attending a special school in Mexico.
 

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