Still, Gabriel seemed desperate to win his mothers affection. and upload a portfolio of your best work. Stefanie Rodriguez. It became his mantra. The card, shaped like a house, said Open the door to see who loves you with his picture glued inside. Garcia testified that she first called the child abuse hotline on Oct. 30, 2012. In a short conversation, Rodriguez told me that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger. They additionally contend that supervisors Bomand Meritt knew or should have known that the reports were false as they contradicted physical evidence of Gabriels deteriorating physical health. 3. Our client, Appcast, is seeking the following. RELATED: Prosecutor in Gabriel Fernandez case was a victim of child abuse himself. STEFANIE A RODRIGUEZ Salary Overview. He was 8 years old, and the signs of abuse were obvious. Rodriguez visited the familys apartment, but again Gabriel recanted. Gabriel suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs, a broken nose, and many missing teeth. He told her his mom hit him punched him in the face. Garcia called Rodriguez again. Instead, she punished him by sending him to school in girls clothing the next daya tiny pink shirt and tight polka-dot leggings. In a 2-1 opinion, the three-justice panel concluded there was no probable cause to hold the two social workers and their supervisors on the charges. Judge Mary Lou Villar stated that each defendant should have noticed the danger Gabriel was in and requested he be removed from the home, or at the very least ordered a medical examination. Stephanie Rodriguez Social worker Greater Sacramento 7 followers 7 connections Join to view profile Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services Sonoma State University Experience Human. The department deemed all reports unsubstantiated. People there told me over and over that they didnt think about Gabriels case and didnt even know much about itthey werent sure exactly what had happened or what mistakes had been made. Clement had filed for bankruptcy. His older brother Ezequiel would try to sneak bananas through the padlocked door. 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. Despite the softwares assessment, Merritt had recently signed off on a request to close the case, satisfied that Gabriel was safe. It was very clear that this was no accidental fall. This button displays the currently selected search type. Rodriguez recommended Gabriel for a program called Voluntary Family Maintenance, which was being used with thousands of families. The family called this cabinet the cubby. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami claimed that Aguirre hated Gabriel because he thought he may be gay. 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. She explained that hearing the name Gabriel Fernandez had sent her into a daze. Merritts attorney even accused Gabriels teacher, Jennifer Garcia, of not doing enough to protect him, because she had followed Rodriguezs instructions to call her directly when she had concerns. Due to confidentiality rules, Rodriguez could say nothing. Gabriels eyes seemed to ask Martinez for help. WORK WITH STEFANIE. 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. Doctors took him off life support on May 24, 2013. Such shallow inquiries were routine across Los Angeles County. On Thursday, Gabriel arrived at school with a busted lip. They recommended the death penalty. 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. Clement paid her first visit to Gabriels home on February 13, but her notes contain few details. Unlike her colleagues, Starr never faced any administrative consequences or criminal charges. In his view, caseworkers should get more oversight, not less. Sleeping Pods. Instead, Rodriguez walked a few cubicles away to consult with a caseworker named Darlene Starr in the Family Preservation unit, a small team led by Greg Merritt. n April 26, Pearl Fernandez was at the welfare office with her children when a security guard named Arturo Martinez recognized what the trained professionals had somehow failed to see: that Gabriel was the victim of extreme abuse, and urgently needed rescuing. Gabriel Fernandez: What happened to Gabriel Fernandezs parents? 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. It will always be Gabriel's number. The social worker Garcia contacted, Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, another social worker, Patricia Clement, 66, and two of their supervisors, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61, are now facing charges of one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records in relation to this case. Gabriel told her he had fallen off his bike and begged her not to send him home early. See full bio . Four Los Angeles County social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 30; Patricia Clement, 65; Kevin Bom, 36; and Gregory Merritt, 60 have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public records . But this didnt strike Merritt as particularly unusual or alarminghe remembered a child even younger who had made actual suicide attempts. Please exercise caution when reading this, as there are accounts of very brutal abuse amounting to torture and a child victim. Let me stop you there. Meet the Poldark actor, The trials of Gabriel Fernandez is streaming on Netflix now, White House Farm: Bizarre reason Jeremy Bamber won awards' in prison, White House Farm: Who is Cressida Bonas? Stefanie. On March 28, an arrest warrant was issued for Stefanie Rodriquez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt. 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 Second District California Appellate Court heard arguments from lawyers representing Kevin Bom, Stefanie Rodriguez, Gregory Merritt and Patricia Clement. She was a 27-year-old newcomer with a bachelors degree in psychology and no academic credentials in social work. Speaking to The Atlantic, Rodriguez explained that during the time she supervised Gabriels welfare, other children in her caseload seemed to her to be in equal or greater danger.. 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. Take your time, Garcia told him. His hair cut was awful and sloppy, and chunks of his scalp had scabbed over. Despite their risk level being very high, Merritt manually changed the level to moderate and closed the case. We have been six years fighting this battle," says the boy's cousin Olivia Rubio. A go-to money expert, Stefanie has appeared on ABC World News, CBSN, Fox & Friends, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Dr Oz Show and various other print and digital media outlets. Stefanie Rodriguez. Pearl was yelling at him to sit, and Martinez told her to tone it down. Gabriel had a fractured skull, fractured ribs, BB pellets lodged in his chest and pelvic region, and a penetrating burn above his groin. She told Pearl that he was a good writer and that he was smart, but Pearl seemed skeptical. Gabriel Fernandez joined the class even later, in mid-October, more than a month into the school year. he next day, the principal at Summerwind called Garcia into his office to tell her that Gabriel was dead. Rodriguez had moved to a new city but couldnt escape Gabriels story: Her picture had appeared on local TV and in the newspaper there. Username. The Pharmacist on Netflix: Whats the shocking true story. vs. LA County, Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam). Inside, fluorescent bulbs threw a dull yellow light across the courtroom. Stefanie A Rodriguez is an employee working in Children & Family Services. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. The area had seen an influx of poor families, and the number of calls to the child-abuse hotline was rising faster there than anywhere else in Southern California. It is this [workers] assessment that mother is overwhelmed with her own emotional pain, she is unwilling to continue counseling at this time, Clement wrote. Counselor Barbara Dixon testified that while working at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, which handled Gabriels case, she did not report suspected abuse despite being legally required to report these suspicions. Pearl and Aguirre asked no questions and offered no pleasantries. Garcia was telling him he was lucky his mother loved himnot everyone had thatwhen Gabriel chimed in. 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. One week before his death, Gabriels school, Summerwind Elementary, asked a sheriffs deputy to investigate, but he received the wrong address. That was a mistake, the school secretary, Pam Howell, told Evans. They hid Gabriels bloody clothes and moved a picture to cover one of the biggest dents in their apartments walls. [INFO]. He had BB pellets embedded in his body - "in his neck, face, lung, legs, buttocks, foot, chest and groin." 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bom declined to comment for this article. (Clement declined to comment for this article.) 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. Arturo Martinez, the security guard, asked to transfer to another office because he could not continue to work with the same people who had refused to help Gabriel. In that time, at least 143 children in Los Angeles County have died from abuse or neglect after having some prior history with DCFS.. Other Benefits, Short Disability Insurance and Dependent & Health Care Spending Accounts. 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. Gabriel told the teacher that his mother hit him with belt buckle until he bled and asked whether such bleeding was normal. They were informed of suicide notes written by Gabriel but they took no additional action. Prosecutors say that the four minimized evidence of abuse and violated multiple policies, reporting that safety programs at Gabriel's home were working at the time abuse was escalating. Pearl ordered her 11-year-old daughter to help them clean blood off the floor. Finances Cost per Session: $80 - $150 . Your email address will not be published. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Pearl Fernandez admitted that shed hit him with the belt. Following Gabriels death in 2013, Rodriguez, Clement, Bom and Merritt were fired from their positions at DCFS following an international investigation after Gabriels death in 2013. + Add or change photo on IMDbPro . Chippewa Valley Museum in need of Summer volunteers. Rodriguez made no entry of this call. About STEFANIE M GUERRERO . The caseworker I shadowed was one of the new arrivals; she held the same job Stefanie Rodriguez had once had. Partner with a local real estate agent to find the home or apartment that's right for you Stefanie Rodriguez, Real Estate Agent - Compass All rights reserved. He came to school with scratches, a split lip, and a swollen bruised face. Corona said she wanted to help but was only filling in. But a senior child-abuse prosecutor told me that if the victim is a child, a quick log entry will suffice. Others had witnessed the abuse, too. In 2010, a department study showed that the evidence caseworkers gathered was often insufficient to accurately judge a situation. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The sheer number of rules caused many workers to consider them just suggestions that no human could ever fully absorb. This investigation was ongoing when Gabriel died. Well, yeah, she told him, recalling that she herself had been spanked as a child. I learned early on that if Im gonna be any good to my clients, I have to take care of myself, Merritt said. He died two days later. "We have, in effect, encouraged DCFS and its social workers to cover their tracks if they stumble on the cracks in the system.". The mother and her boyfriend were convicted of the torture murder. Virginia and Ezequiel, who now live with a relative in another state, asked Hatami to accept her plea; they didnt want to have to testify against her. The petitioners actions here prevented the system from working in whatever way it might have had they done their jobs honestly, and offers no incentive for either DCFS or individual social workers to work to reform and repair the parts of the system that may fail the children it is intended to protect, Chaney wrote. Toggle primary navigation. Free college is now a reality in nearly 30 states. He died. On walks, he lagged at the end of the line, saying that his arms and legs hurt. The documentary looks into the failures of the Los Angeles County DCFS system. ' in reference to the social worker. She delivered her testimony with plaintive wails and required frequent recesses to gather herself. Gabriel, he later testified, turned around and made eye contact with me and I noticed he had a greenish-bluish eyea black eyeand lumps on the back of his head. Gabriel asked his teacher, Jennifer Garcia, if it was normal for moms to hit their kids. The 2nd District Court of Appeal advised that the lower court dismiss the charges against the social workers. !. According to the next worker assigned to Gabriels case, Patricia Clement claimed that new abuse allegations were already being dealt with and that she was going to close the case because there were no concerns at the moment. On May 22nd, 2013 paramedics rushed Gabriel to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles but doctors pronounced him braindead the same day. Stephanie Rodrigues is a member of the caregiver training team. Click the link in the email we sent to to verify your email address and activate your job alert. The Auditor-Controller discloses information about compensations paid to employees of Los Angeles County in the form of earnings and fringe benefits. Social workers Patricia Clement, left, and Stefanie Rodriguez, third from left, and supervisors Kevin Bom, second from right, and Gregory Merritt, fourth from right, who were charged with. arlene Starr, the worker who accepted Gabriels case into the Voluntary Family Maintenance program, was one of Greg Merritts closest confidantes at work. Scalp, Face, Neck, Ears and Shoulder Injuries Documented at Trial (diagam) | Autopsy Injury Diagram (drawing). and M.Sc. Garcia thought they seemed hardened and meanpossibly dangerous. Its because my mom shot me in the face with a BB gun!, Okay. She paused, not knowing what to say. 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. I could hardly walk. The question today is whether the felony counts against four social workers will be dismissed, reduced or stand. 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. When Garcia first met the boy, in the schools front office, she noticed that Pearl and Aguirre werent like the other first-grade parents, who hovered over their children, crouching down to guide them through introductions or to explain how to get lunch. But when she told Steve Reid, the caseworker who answered, about the belt buckle and the blood, he said, Okay. I tried to feel his heart, Aguirre said, and nothing is moving.. 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. MyNewsLA.com wont sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time. Isuaro and Pearl even pepper sprayed Gabriel the night before he died. When Le Norgant asked Gabriel whether he was serious, he stared blankly and said Yes. She informed Clement and Merritt, but they took no additional action. Child abuse hotline on Oct. 30, 2012 yeah, she punished him by him! 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