The parents of a 4-year-old who believed to have been been tortured and killed in Southern California were sentenced to decades in prison on Tuesday
A judge sentenced the father, Jose Maria Cuatro Jr., to 32 years to life in prison while the mother, Ursula Elaine Juarez, got 22 years, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told USA TODAY.
Cuatro, 32, pleaded no contest last month to the first-degree murder and torture of 4-year-old Noah Cuatro. Juarez, 30, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and torture, according to KABC-TV. The parents both waived their right to appeal as part of the plea agreement.
“Today’s sentencing is another step towards achieving justice for Noah Cuatro,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement Tuesday. “I am hopeful today’s sentencing will help his surviving siblings, grandmother, and family members heal and find some peace. Little Noah’s memory will be in my heart and mind forever.”
Barger added that life sentences without the possibility of parole would have been more appropriate for the parents but that she respects the judicial process.
Noah’s death first reported as a drowning
The parents reported the boy’s death as a drowning at their family pool on July 5 in the high desert city of Palmdale, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, KNBC-TV reported. He was taken to the Palmdale Regional Medical Center and later the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he was pronounced dead the following day.
A week…
