Starr said that Stefanie Rodriguez pleaded with her to take Gabriels case. Inside, fluorescent bulbs threw a dull yellow light across the courtroom. 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. Long Term Disability Premiums, Life Insurance Premiums and Employer Medicare Tax. But the consequences of needlessly separating children from their parents, while less visible, can be devastating too. First responders noted that every single inch of his body had signs of abuse. You survived. If the victim is a child, a detective can end the investigation with no review by prosecutors. Garcia didnt know what to say to Gabriel. All six episodes of The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez are available to stream and download on Netflix now. The card, shaped like a house, said Open the door to see who loves you with his picture glued inside. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Little Gabriel Fernandez died at the hand of his mother and stepdad, Gregory Merritt was a social worker involved in Gabriel's case, Netflix's The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez explores tragic reason behind his death, Pearl Fernandez and stepfather Isauro Aguirre, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Lets talk about this at recess., When recess came, he pressed on: Is it normal for your mom to hit you with the part of the belt that has that metal thing on the end?, Yeah, he said. His one solace was a mens group at church, where he felt he was able to make his case to a higher power. But many of the children in his caseload had that designation. In his view, caseworkers should get more oversight, not less. He had internal injuries, including a lacerated liver. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. We did our own thing out there, he told me. View our online Press Pack. In a 2-1 opinion, the panel concluded that there was no probable cause to hold the four on charges of child abuse and falsifying documents. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. The information disclosed includes compensations paid to employees of Los Angeles County in the form of earnings and fringe benefits. Rodriguez made no entry of this call. On April 26th, 2013 a security guard at the local welfare office, Arturo Martinez, noticed that Gabriel needed urgent help. 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.". Back in her classroom, Garcia saw the Mothers Day card on Gabriels desk. Cat feces were forced in his mouth and down his throat. When I first called Starr, in November, she quickly excused herself and got off the phone. Finances Cost per Session: $80 - $150 . Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt are charged with felony child abuse and falsifying public records in the 2013 beating and torture. He called 911, but the operator said the situation didnt sound like an emergency and gave him the number for nonemergencies. He lied because whenever a social worker would visit his punishments would increase. More info. He wanted to, and worked very hard on it. But she said her boss had told her not to call the hotline, because he didnt want to jeopardize Pearls cooperation with the Voluntary Family Maintenance program. The card was shaped like a house and said Open the door to see who loves you. He pasted his picture inside. He is currently awaiting execution in San Quentin State Prison. Still, Pearl received custody of Gabriel. Most agencies dont have those resources. But a senior child-abuse prosecutor told me that if the victim is a child, a quick log entry will suffice. But when he tried to institute more rigorous performance standards, representatives of the service providersincluding many churchesfilled the county board of supervisors large meeting room and gave hours of heated testimony. Of this total $30,591 was received as a salary, $2,687 was received as overtime pay, $11,113 was received as benefits and $5,272 came from other types of compensation . Pearl was yelling at him to sit, and Martinez told her to tone it down. 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. But Browning, who left the department in 2017, acknowledged over email that these reforms could not guarantee that the department wouldnt see another death like Gabriels. He felt brushed off, judged. The NPI number of this provider is 1396366688 and was assigned on April 2020. Please apply today or contact me directly:Dana Laghezza Director, Practice Development LifeStance Health, Inc. (e) Dana.Laghezza @LifeStance.com (p)lt;br> We offer Licensed Therapists (LCPC, LCSW . Or was it a systemic one, the result of a department so ill-equipped to safeguard children that tragedies were bound to happen? City News Service contributed to this report. A few days later, Gabriel came to school with a split lip from Pearl punching him in the mouth. The series tracks what happened to eight-year-old Gabriel and the subsequent murder trial of his mother Pearl Fernandez and her partner, Isauro Aguirre. Oh, okay, Garcia said finally, not knowing how else to cut the tension. The court stated: Although there may be consequences to social workers who fail to fulfil their duties, the consequences do not include criminal liability for child abuse., In the documentary, Merrit said: Those of us who were working the case seems to have done what we could have done. Still, Mondays events nagged at Garcia. They acted in a way that was incompatible with the proper regard for human life. Later this year, a jury will reach its own conclusions. They reportedly moved to Des Moines soon after their wedding. One day in late October, about two weeks after hed started at school, Gabriel tugged on her side in the middle of class. BB pellets pockmarked his skin. No one could protect them alland he felt frustrated that both administrators and the public expected him to do the impossible. 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Free college is now a reality in nearly 30 states. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday, Rodriguez returned for a follow-up visit. Garcia called the principal to the room to take a look at Gabriels head. Doctors took him off life support on May 24, 2013. When I got to the department, instead of cheering the parent on for doing the right thing, theyd want us to take the kid away or tell the kid, Youre right and Your parents have no authority over you.. When he reached Pearl on the phone she told him that Gabriel had moved to Texas with his grandmother. Rodriguez recommended that Gabriel and Pearl take part in Voluntary Family Maintenance, which allows children to remain in the home while the family works to resolve their issues. Stefanie Rodriguez Found 287 people in California, New York and 39 other states View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. The county medical examiner who performed his autopsy told the grand jury that he had never witnessed so many skin injuries on a child. Right, Mrs. Garcia? he asked, as if he needed confirmation. They each faced up to ten years in prison if found guilty. He whispered to Garcia that he didnt know what to say when they asked what had happened. I dont think theres anything else I could have done, he told me, with the soft voice and slumped shoulders of a man whose fate is now in the hands of others. 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). Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez: A 2019 survey found that 60% of Americans have helped out a friend or family member by lending them money with the expectation of being paid back. Then he turned back to his computerbecause, he says, life goes on, and I had work to do. Hed concluded long ago that some of the children who depended on the department would inevitably be injured, if not killed. ast September, I arranged a ride-along with caseworkers from the Palmdale office of the Department of Children and Family Services. But we spoke again later that day. The therapist, a woman named Barbara Dixon who worked for an outside contractor, saw Gabriel often in the months leading up to his death and had grown concerned that he was being abused. Its over now. But the operator wouldnt give her any information. Find contact's direct phone number, email address, work history, and more. 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. Gabriel froze. How do you prioritize your spending when you have debt and dreams for the future? At a preliminary hearing to decide whether the case should go before a jury, the defense attorneys hammered at one question: Why were these four workers the only ones being punished? A motion to rehear the appeals court decision was denied in January 2020 and the criminal case against these four is not progressing further. On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Stefanie Rodriquez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt. This time, Garcia didnt ask what had happened. But five years on, he believes he has the distance to see that he performed as well as anyone could have, under the circumstances. But when she told Steve Reid, the caseworker who answered, about the belt buckle and the blood, he said, Okay. Username. The sheer number of rules caused many workers to consider them just suggestions that no human could ever fully absorb. Corona was only filling in that day and, though reluctant, talked to a supervisor who told her not to get involved. In January, the Palmdale teacher testified that she reported Gabriels physical injuries as well as his allegations that the injuries were at the hands of his mother. He occasionally took books off the shelf, copied sentences in his own hand, and took them to Garcia. Such was the case with 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and his first-grade teacher Jennifer Garcia. For years, Greg Merritt would call headquarters for help on a case only to be told hed reached the wrong office, because the person who answered didnt know that Palmdale was in Los Angeles County. Garcia testified she repeatedly reported suspected abuse to social workers who failed to prevent his death. She said she had been assigned to investigate and told Garcia to call her directly if she noticed anything suspicious in the future. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). On this week's Money Confidential, we help you determine where your money should go. During the final eight months of Gabriel Fernandezs life, numerous concerns had been made to the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services [DCFS]. Evans had no authority to make a diagnosis or mandate further medical attention, but she wrote detailed notes, thinking that child-protective-services caseworkers might inquire about the incident. Those injuries included hits to the face, punches, and even bullets by a BB gun. She was a ticking time bomb, Teresa Linn Stanley, a caseworker who once worked side by side with Clement, told me. Prosecutors say they failed to take the appropriate steps to protect Gabriel and then falsified documents related to his case. Each week, O'Connell Rodriguez answers some super common and everyday questions about . As days passed, and then weeks, Gabriels situation only seemed to worsen. About STEFANIE M GUERRERO . He said he wouldnt hesitate to remove a child if he knew there to be true danger, but he also acknowledged that he recognized such situations less often than others did. In 2016, Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, two former LA County social workers, as well as two supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, were charged with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying public records. Garcia told Gabriel to tell other kids to mind their own business when they asked him what had happened. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. A red eye; his face, neck, and ear marked and bruised; his forehead skin was peeling. DON'T MISSGabriel Fernandez: Who is Michael Lemos Carranza? He then asked if it was normal for moms to hit kids with a belt buckle and make you bleed. (Hons.) He said his mother and her boyfriend would threaten him if he didnt join in their beatings. During the trial, it was revealed that Gabriel had been starved, kept in handcuffs, shot with BB guns, doused with pepper spray, forced to eat his own vomit and locked in a cabinet with a sock stuffed in his mouth to muffle his screams. When social workers interviewed him about that allegation, Pearl was present, and Gabriel took back each of his stories. Shed spent the summer preparing to teach fourth grade at Palm Tree Elementary, in the high-desert town of Palmdale, north of Los Angeles. First Call Made Six Months Before Gabriel's Death They were informed of suicide notes written by Gabriel but they took no additional action. View Stefanie Rodriguez results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. In an 2-1 opinion, the panel concluded that there was no probable cause to hold the two social workers and their supervisors on charges of child abuse and falsifying documents. Gabriel at School Just Before Mother's Day. If the case proceeds to trial and the defendants are convicted, they could face over 10 years in prison. Supporters of Gabriel attended the hearing. Toggle primary navigation. One, addressed to his mother, said, I love you so much that I will die. Others stated he wanted to kill himself. Gabriel told the teacher that his mother hit him with belt buckle until he bled and asked whether such bleeding was normal. On November 26th, 2012 Gabriel showed up to class late. 2017 toyota corolla wheel torque specs stefanie rodriguez social worker now The Family Preservation unit would now be expected to send a caseworker to the Fernandez home every two weeks, and to supplement those visits with family and individual counseling sessions. She believed in the mission of the Family Preservation unit, and tried to see herself in the shoes of her adult clients and become more tolerant and understanding. At the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, administrators had a well-worn routine they followed anytime a child died, or came close to dying, at the hands of a parent or guardiansomething that typically happened at least a couple of times a month. Please fill in the following form. During their trials, it came to light that Isuaro Aguirre forced Gabriel to eat spoiled food and cat feces as well as his own vomit, and locked him in a cabinet with a sock in his mouth and handcuffs around his ankles to sleep. Everyone in the office knew that Palmdale had its share of caseworkers whom no one would choose to look after endangered children. Rodriguez had moved to a new city but couldnt escape Gabriels story: Her picture had appeared on local TV and in the newspaper there. When Garcia first questioned Gabriel about his injuries, he lied to her and told her he fell. View Stefanie Rodriguez's business profile as Collection Manager at GBMC HealthCare. The program is rudimentary and has been criticized for miscalculating risk, but an internal study showed that it is significantly more reliable than caseworkers own determinations. 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). Pearl Sinthia Fernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading to first-degree murder and admitting the torture allegation. In 2004, a relative filed a complaint with CPS claiming that Pearl was beating that son. He asked her to put an A on the paper in the hope that his mother would be impressed. Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt were their supervisors on the case. Browning believed the field of child-abuse prevention needed a set of reforms similar to those that had been introduced throughout the country to better address domestic violence of romantic partnerssuch as mandatory-arrest laws, which require police officers to arrest an alleged perpetrator whenever there is probable cause, regardless of the victims wishes, and no drop prosecution policies, which mandate the prosecution of domestic-violence perpetrators whether or not their victims want to press charges. On May 22, 2013 Pearl Fernandez called 911. Neither Rodriguez nor Bom thought the bruise warranted a doctors visit or Gabriels removal from the home, though they did ask Pearl and her boyfriend to undergo drug testing the next day, because of Garcias report that Gabriel had demonstrated how to snort cocaine. Director Brian Knappenberger documents the investigation into the months of abuse preceding his murder as well as the trial against his mother and her boyfriend. Social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 35 and Patricia Clement, 69, and supervisors Kevin Bom, 41, and Gregory Merritt, 64, had each been charged with one felony count of child abuse and one felony . This created a financial incentive to reduce the use of foster care. In 2018, after Pearl and Isauros sentencing, prosecutors opened an investigation into the four social workers who had been assigned to Gabriels case. She decided to call Rodriguez again, and again got voicemail. Please reload the page and try again. (During this period, foster care was in such short supply that DCFS routinely used a conference room to house children overnight.) She claimed to social workers that she had concerns about how he was being treated but family members say she wanted Gabriels welfare benefits. Merritt told me she was a little bit of a burnout case but good enough. Others remember her less favorably. But this didnt strike Merritt as particularly unusual or alarminghe remembered a child even younger who had made actual suicide attempts. However, his girlfriend, now wife, Stephanie Sanger, announced their marriage in a post on her Facebook page, which has since been deleted. Apply via Dice today! News coverage of child fatalities has often been a catalyst for a renewed focus on safety: When a child dies at the hands of a guardian, an outraged public will demand more proactive interventions to prevent such a tragedy. You can unsubscribe at any time. 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. Garcia called the principal to have him look at Gabriels head. Buy, sell, and rent smarter with Stefanie Rodriguez at Compass. The girl later said that her mother asked her to help soak up blood from the floor. White House Farm killer played badminton and drew models in prison. On March 26th, 2013 therapist intern Barbara Dixon filed a report that Gabriel claimed a relative forced him to perform oral sex on them. But Judge Mary Lou Villar was not persuaded. I got light-headed, she said. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. In DCFSs Palmdale office, people liked to joke: Its not the end of the world, but you can see it from here. High-ranking administrators from headquarters in Los Angeles rarely made the long drive through the hills and canyons up to this community on the edge of the Mojave Desert, where buzzards circle and dust storms penetrate homes with a layer of grit that no amount of vigilance can keep out. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. He was able to find only sporadic work, stocking beer at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. For Jennifer Garcia, the 201213 school year was off to a disappointing start. Suddenly, Pearl wanted custody back in October 2012. He rarely went outside during recess, and when he did, Garcia sometimes saw him alone on the playground, kicking a wall. Like, You aint got nothing else to do? he told me. Pearl sat quickly, fidgeting and rubbing her nose. invisible stranding in knitting. Rodriguez visited the familys apartment, but again Gabriel recanted. The filing followed the Palmdale boys death in May 2013 from a beating by his mothers boyfriend and reports of months of torture prior to that. I learned early on that if Im gonna be any good to my clients, I have to take care of myself, Merritt said. Stefanie Rodriguez Executive Business Partner at Lyft New York, New York, United States 478 followers 476 connections Join to connect Lyft University of San Francisco Activity Career Update! Get email updates for new Licensed Clinical Social Worker jobs in Chevy Chase, MD. Gabriel had a fractured skull, fractured ribs, BB pellets lodged in his chest and pelvic region, and a penetrating burn above his groin. I still have nightmares. They alleged the officials failed to take appropriate steps to protect the boy. In her notes, she reported that shed observed the children to be appropriately dressed, visibly healthy, and did not have any marks or bruises., The following week, Garcia made multiple calls about Gabriels haircut and busted lip. Fernandez is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. When Barbara Dallis, one of the departments assistant regional administrators, showed up at Merritts desk that morning asking for the Gabriel Fernandez case file, he didnt immediately understand that something terrible had happened. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. Its because my mom shot me in the face with a BB gun!, Okay. She paused, not knowing what to say. We just report what we see. Garcia called Rodriguez and left messages on two different numbers the caseworker had given her. His neck had been stripped of a layer of skin. The charges against the four social workers will be dropped Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorneys office said. The next year, California passed the first state law mandating that doctors report suspected child abuse and neglect. The DCFS Internal investigation found that neither Rodriguez or her supervisor Bon reviewed information regarding Pearl and her history with the DCFS. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time. Under California law, teachers must report any suspected child abuse, but even those who report are not always heard. Fishpond Hong Kong, Statistical Mechanics, Third Edition by R K Pathria . Stefanie A Rodriguez is an employee working in Children & Family Services. 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. Pearl admitted to hitting him with the belt. Patricia Clement and Stefanie Rodriguez were discovered to be two of the social workers who had neglected their responsibility. An arrest warrant filed March 28 identifies the four Los Angeles social workers as Stefanie Rodriguez, 30, Patricia Clement, 65, Kevin Bom, 36, and Gregory Merritt, 60. Lots of people spank their kids, after all. Gabriel's mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were both charged and convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances of torture. RELATED: DCFS asks for public's help amid sharp drop in possible child abuse reports, Brunt of storm moving out of SoCal on Wednesday; showers will linger, Children jump for joy at seeing snow flurries in Canyon Country, RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan is denied parole for 16th time. Learn More{{/message}}. I just dont want to remember it.. The Pharmacist on Netflix: Whats the shocking true story. Indeed, this summer a 10-year-old boy named Anthony Avalos was found unresponsive in his mothers apartment in Lancaster, California, just north of Palmdale. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. The caseworker I shadowed was one of the new arrivals; she held the same job Stefanie Rodriguez had once had. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. They alleged the officials failed to take appropriate steps to protect the boy. They would later become the second and third workers, after Merritt, to be charged with child abuse and falsification of records. Merritt couldnt remember much about Gabriel, one of about 180 children whose cases he had been overseeing. As time went on and new injuries kept appearing, I started to feel like nothing was happening (with the case), Garcia testified. On Monday, November 26, Gabriel arrived late. In January, a three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal issued an opinion directing a lower court to dismiss the charges against the social workers. Martinez ultimately asked to be transferred to another office. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed charges against social workers who were accused of child abuse and falsifying records related to the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. Breaking news for Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. Gabriels mother, Pearl, was already known to the authorities following previous child abuse-related incidents. Rodriguez and Bom could have checked a box on a form to mark the case as high priority, but they left it blank. The appellate court formally sent the matter back to the lower court in April and Lomeli was expected to officially drop the charges on Thursday. But, as Garcia later recalled, before Gabriel drew near, the principal told him, Its okay, son. He pressed, and she reluctantly went to ask a supervisors permission. Multiple calls had been made to the child-abuse hotline, but a caseworker ended the investigation after Anthony recanted his claims of abuse. Martinez later learned that a deputy had visited the home and found nothing wrong. Find Stefanie Rodriguez's articles, email address, contact information, Twitter and more. Take your time, Garcia told him. January 7, 2020 / 5:43 AM Browning, the head of the department, had referred the case to the district attorneys office in the immediate aftermath of Gabriels death. As long as human beings are involved in the child welfare program there are possibilities for mistakes to occur, he wrote. ' in reference to the social worker. 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. On February 27th, 2013 therapist Carmen Le Norgant discussed with Pearl suicide notes Gabriel had written. Other teachers told her that Summerwind was one of the districts nicest schools, but when Garcia looked around at the peeling paint and crumbling stucco, she thought, If this is the best weve got, were really in trouble. He told Le Norgant that he was serious. Clinical Social Work/Therapist, LCSW-R, MSW Location. Yes, he said. Garcia told him to sit down. The boy was left in his mothers custody despite repeated reports of abuse, including by Gabriels teacher, and follow-up visits by the social workers to the family home. To trial and the criminal case against these four is not progressing further the shocking true story 27th... 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