A youth soccer coach is facing murder charges after the body of a 13-year-old player from his team was found along the side of the road.
According to KCRA, the North Hollywood teen left on a train to help his coach at a sports complex in Palmdale. When Hernandez didn't return that night, his family started looking for him and reported the boy missing the next day.
Mario Edgardo-Garcia-Aquino, Hernandez's coach, was arrested by police last Wednesday for a separate crime of allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in February of 2024.
Garcia-Aquino has been charged in the Hernandez case with one count of murder with the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child, making him eligible for the death penalty. A decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty will be made at a later date.
“No parent should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain and sorrow of learning their child has been murdered,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “Oscar simply boarded a train and little did he or his family know that he would never return. Sexual predators who target victims for their own gratification will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
“There is no excuse for these types of crimes,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. “We will continue to pursue justice and work tirelessly to ensure we bring closure to the victims and their families, while ensuring that such individuals face the full extent of the law.”
Garcia-Aquino is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
