Barron, 33, and Leiva, 37, now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if they are convicted as charged.
Under cross-examination by one of Barron's attorneys, Kinsner acknowledged that he had never met the boy's mother before and doesn't know how she reacts. Veteran Los Angeles County firefighter Neal Eggers testified that the boy appeared "very skinny, like malnourished" and had bruises in different stages of healing. He said paramedics unsuccessfully tried to revive the boy, who was never able to resume breathing on his own, noting that he had never seen a child before in that condition.
"She's been torturing her kids for a long period of time, and once defendant Leiva came into the picture it turned deadly," he said. She told investigators that the boy said he might be gay and that she responded that she would love him no matter what because he was her "baby." The defense lawyer questioned the accounts of the boy's half-siblings, whose testimony he said has changed over time.
Aww really so heartbreaking and so awful and sad RIP Anthony Avalos with god and with angels🕯️🕊️🤍