They rushed him to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where he was on life support for two days. Merritt told me that despite Clements weaknesses, he had to rely on her to be his eyes and ears, so he signed off on her recommendation without reading the file. Gabriels teacher Ms Garcia contacted the organisation several times, reporting Gabriels injuries and behaviour. Stephanie Rodrigues is a member of the caregiver training team. He died in the hospital days after the brutal attack. The card, shaped like a house, said Open the door to see who loves you with his picture glued inside. She had abandoned her youngest child, a daughter named Destiny, and lost custody of a son named Arnold Jr., who was a year older than Gabriel. Instead, she punished him by sending him to school in girls clothing the next daya tiny pink shirt and tight polka-dot leggings. Martinez ultimately asked to be transferred to another office. I mean, everybody beats their kids. He called the number for nonemergencies and was later told that a sheriffs deputy had gone to Gabriels home but hadnt seen anything wrong. In the end, it all added up to very high risk, meaning that the caseworkers had no choice but to promote the case for further attention. In June 2018, Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli sentenced Isauro Aguirre to death for the boy's first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of murder involving torture. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The disclosed employee information includes last name, first name, middle initial name, position title, department, fiscal year, earnings and benfits. Then administrators would go to work producing a confidential report and a set of reformsmeasures that would allow them to claim they had taken steps to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. His neck had been stripped of a layer of skin. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Sadly, Gabriel Fernandez was subjected to months of brutal torture at the hands of his mother Pearl and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre. Still, Gabriel seemed desperate to win his mothers affection. Earnings for Regularly Scheduled Work Hours. Take your time, Garcia told him. Theres hardly a night I dont dream about the department, she told me. On May 22, 2013 Pearl Fernandez called 911. Stefanie Guerrero is a provider established in Raleigh, North Carolina and her medical specialization is Social Worker with a focus in clinical . Children's Social Worker (CSW) The representative who works with the family who is in receiving services from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). He finally admitted that Pearl shot him in the face with a BB gun. There were cigarette burns on his neck, feet, and genitals and ligature marks on both ankles. "We need to stand up to fight. Pearl and Aguirre eventually called 911. A police officer came to the home but left without talking to Gabriel. Browning was also troubled that many of the parenting classes and counseling services the department relied on to prevent abuse had little evidence to support their efficacy. In January 2020 California 2nd District Court of Appeals threw out the charges against the four former social workers. When Clement visited the Fernandez home for the third time in March, Pearl said she did not want to have further involvement with the agency and Clement accepted her decision. Merritt told me that he gravitated to Family Preservation because it aligned with his highest aspirations for his work. NEW social workers in the case of Gabriel Fernandez came under investigation after the child died at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. Chevy Chase, MD, Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Dice by 2x. Little round bruises dotted his face. She emailed the school psychologist, hoping that Gabriel might be able to receive counseling. Click the link in the email we sent to to verify your email address and activate your job alert. The trials of Gabriel Fernandez also points to the failings of the Los Angeles Child Services and the four social works in charge of the Gabriel case. Long Term Disability Premiums, Life Insurance Premiums and Employer Medicare Tax. Garcia felt reassured; the agency seemed to be taking the matter seriously. Get notified about new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) A California appeals court has thrown out criminal charges against four social workers in the torture and murder of 8-year-old Palmdale boy Gabriel Fernandez. (In 2013, Los Angeles County had roughly 3,000 caseworkers and more than 200,000 calls to its child-abuse hotline.). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. ), First published on January 7, 2020 / 5:43 AM. All rights reserved. Later investigations revealed Rodriguez had never received information which showed Pearl Rodriguez had abused and neglected her other children. Stefanie is related to Victor Rodriquez and Sylvia Rodriguez as well as 1 additional person. If the victim is a child, a detective can end the investigation with no review by prosecutors. The results came back negative. They asked the lawyer representing the L.A. County District Attorney about the term "duty," and the liability of workers. he temperature outside was already in the 80s on the morning last fall when Ezequiel and Virginia testified in Isauro Aguirres murder trial. She recalls Rodriguez saying that Pearl Fernandez had once spanked Gabriel harshly but did not present an immediate safety threat, and that both Pearl and Gabriel had issues. After school, Garcia called the countys child-abuse hotline. Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam) | Autopsy Injury Diagram (drawing). Do you have more infomration about Stefanie A Rodriguez? Martinez called his own supervisor who explained that was not in his job description. You can unsubscribe at any time. I wondered to what extent Gabriels death and the criminal charges facing their former colleagues had affected how they approached their jobs. Stefanie Rodriguez is an actress, known for Phil the Alien (2004). The four also had criminal charges filed against them. Stanley and her colleagues often puzzled over the fact that Clement, 68, had been a Catholic nun. He told me he winced whenever he read in child-death cases that his employees had interviewed a child with the alleged perpetrator nearby, or had halted their inquiry when a child recanted a claim of abuse. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. Stefanie Rodriguez. Again, information traveled in one direction: Rodriguez wouldnt tell Garcia what she was doing to protect Gabriel, or whether she planned to remove him from his home. Advocates for family preservation have at times lamented that they lacked the kind of horror stories that could galvanize support for their position. Since Gabriels death and the subsequent review, DCFS has hired more than 1,000 caseworkers, provided staff with smartphones, started new methods of training, and changed the standards for the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. Bom had managed to start a new career as a custody evaluator in divorce cases, but he lost that job after the criminal charges were filed. Its destroyed a lot of lives. Paramedics found Gabriel naked in a bedroom with a cracked skull three broken ribs and BB pellets embedded in his lung and groin. efore caseworkers can close an investigation, the agency requires them to use a software program called Structured Decision Making to score a childs risk of being abused or neglected. When Fernandez called 911 on May 22, 2013 to report her son was not breathing, she told sheriff's deputies who responded that Gabriel had fallen and hit his head on a dresser. Garcia testified that she first called the child abuse hotline on Oct. 30, 2012. Its not part of your duties.. Those injuries included hits to the face, punches, and even bullets by a BB gun. In just a few days, she would be teaching first grade in Room 5 at Summerwind Elementary, four miles away. If the case proceeds to trial and the defendants are convicted, they could face over 10 years in prison. Stefanie Rodriguez, 34; Patricia Clement, 69; Kevin Bom, 40; and Gregory Merritt, 64, were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. HBO 2020 release schedule: Whats new on HBO in March 2020? DCFS has since made some vital improvements: It has hired more than 1,000 additional caseworkers, provided staffers with much-needed smartphones, introduced new training methods, and tightened the standards for acceptance into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. We conclude that the petitioners never had the requisite duty to control the abusers and did not have care or custody of Gabriel for purposes of Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (a). Free college is now a reality in nearly 30 states. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. Yet time and again, they failed to intervene. On November 26th, 2012 Gabriel showed up to class late. Justice Francis Rothschild wrote: We conclude that the petitioners never had the requisite duty to control the abusers and did not have care or custody of Gabriel for purposes of Penal Code section 273a, subdivision (a). This fall, Merritt and three of his colleagues will stand trial for criminal charges of falsifying records and child abuse, which carry up to 11 years in prison. Decider.com reported that a three-justice panel stated there was no probably cause connected to child abuse or falsifying documents in a 2-to-1 opinion.. If found guilty, they will be among the first caseworkers from a child-welfare agency to go to prison for their lapses on the job. Afterward, Pearl found Gabriels sister Virginia on the edge of her bed, where shed sat frozen throughout the beating. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. He was able to find only sporadic work, stocking beer at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. The least popular job in this least desirable place was also the most difficult and most important: child-abuse investigator. Rodriguez made no entry in the case file to reflect the call. Stefanie Rodriguez, 32, Patricia Clement, 66, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, were fired from their jobs following an internal investigation into the May 24, 2013, death of Gabriel. Garcia says her interactions with Rodriguez began shortlyafter she suspected Gabriels mother was physically retaliating against him for his in-school misbehavior. This button displays the currently selected search type. Merritt couldnt remember much about Gabriel, one of about 180 children whose cases he had been overseeing. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 34, and Patricia Clement, 69, were charged along with two supervisors, Kevin Bom, 40, and Gregory Merritt, 64, with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying public records. Strictly star bags life-changing EastEnders role as part of new family, Baby's body found after huge search as cops quiz Constance Marten & lover, Bianca Gascoigne reveals very unusual name for her newborn daughter, I took pic of son, 18, before his first night out then the worst thing happened, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. They didnt understand what they saw. He said he couldnt work with people who had refused to help Gabriel. This investigation was ongoing when Gabriel died. As soon as a call came in from a hospital, caseworkers would be dispatched to interview any surviving siblings and remove them from the home. Username. Corona was only filling in that day and, though reluctant, talked to a supervisor who told her not to get involved. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. This time, the students didnt laugh. On the wall behind the jury box, dark oily blotches had formed over the years behind the heads of countless weary jurors. Aguirre received the death sentence. Is it normal for you to bleed?. ), When Clement paid a third and final visit, on March 6, Pearl said she didnt want to have any further involvement with the agencyand Clement accepted her decision. On Friday, December 20, the former Counting On star revealed she'd "chopped off" more than a foot of her long locks and she looks like a whole new woman. (This policy was changed in 2011, allowing social workers to use their professional judgment to determine how many witnesses were necessary.). Gabriel, by contrast, had a striking innocence. Netflix docu-series The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez tells the story of how he was tortured, and raised questions about the social system that was meant to protect him. But doing so requires a highly trained workforce with the resources to carry out a thorough investigation in every case. He asked her to put an A on the paper in the hope that his mother would be impressed. 3. After school, Garcia made yet another call to Rodriguez. Please reload the page and try again. Due to over 60 complaints filed against Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre between 2003 and 2012, there were 8 investigations of them by the LA County Child Protective Services and the Department of Children and Family Services. After all, Kate was mysteriously absent from the season three finale fast-forward scene and Toby seemed hesitant . It was Gabriel. The department was using it on parents who werent eligible instead of only low risk cases as intended. Four social workers: Kevin Bom, Greg Merritt, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement were charged with child endangerment which resulted in death, and falsification of public documents. Gabriel, did not directly physically abuse Gabriel and did not have the "duty" required by the child abuse charge. Management had to impose a ban on transfers out just to keep the branch staffed. Other marks were scattered on his face, neck, and left ear. When I first called Starr, in November, she quickly excused herself and got off the phone. Martinez asked Maricela Corona, the clerk Pearl had spoken to, if she planned to report child abuse. Unlike his brother Justin, Steven Assanti does not have a very visible social media presence. Garcia called Rodriguez again, despite the odd sense of complicity she now felt after hearing that her efforts only made things worse. The documentary looks into the failures of the Los Angeles County DCFS system. The announcement that they faced criminal charges had come as a shock. In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. !. Garcia called Gabriels caseworker, Rodriguez, on two different numbers and left messages. One week before his death, Gabriels school, Summerwind Elementary, asked a sheriffs deputy to investigate, but he received the wrong address. . Arturo Martinez, a security guard at the welfare office had also noticed Gabriels injuries and also tried to report his concerns. Garcia told the court Gabriel showed up with chunks of hair missing and bloody scabs on his head. Clement and Merritt then became involved in the case. Sleeping Pods. Looking for Stefanie Rodriguez online? Others had witnessed the abuse, too. (Le Norgant also called 911. Stefanie's work & advice has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Oprah Magazine. It was a calling. STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ Salary Overview. She coached him: My mom cut it like that. A familys prior history is one of the most reliable measures of the need for future intervention, and in the past 10 years, at least four hotline calls had been made alleging that Pearl Fernandez was neglecting or abusing her children. The second best result is Stefanie Denise Rodriquez age 40s in Fort Worth, TX. He died on May 24, 2013, and in 2018, Pearl and Isauro were found guilty of first-degree murder with an additional special circumstance of intentional murder by torture. Lomeli also handled the social worker case and in 2018 had denied a motion to dismiss the charges, saying the boy's death was "foreseeable.". It was stated that there was no probable cause connected to child abuse or falsifying documents in a 2-to-1 opinion. Each of the four defendants, she said, should have noticed that Gabriel was in danger and filed a petition for his removal from the home, or at least ordered a medical examination. At the heart of the case is a question of accountability: Was their failure to protect Gabriel an isolated onethe fault of four employees so careless and neglectful that they allowed a child to suffer despite a series of glaring warning signs?
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