Mourners of Anthony Avalos, 10, wore Batman and Superman tee shirts and capes to his funeral in Lancaster, California on Friday
Mourners wore Batman and Superman t-shirts at the funeral of a courageous 10-year-old boy who authorities say was beaten to death by his mother and her boyfriend.
More than 150 attended his funeral, held in Lancaster, California on Friday.
His family’s intent was to honor the courage of Anthony Avalos, who died on June 21, after prosecutors said he had been tortured by Heather Barron, 28, and Kareem Leiva, 32, for at least five days and found unconscious in his home on June 20.
Anthony’s uncle, David Barron, told the Los Angeles Times his nephew was braver than most adults and always stood up for what was right.
‘With everything going on, with what he was going through, he was always smiling,’ his uncle said. ‘It just shows what kind of kid he was.’
Anthony had ‘said he liked boys’ within the weeks leading up to his death, according to LA County’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
When asked if homophobia may have contributed to his murder, the Sheriff’s Department saying it’s ‘too early’ to be thinking about motive.
His aunt, Maria Barron (center), joined others in wearing a t-shirt printed with a photo of Anthony that read, ‘Forever In Our Hearts,’ with his name written below
Anthony’s love for protectors is what prompted the super hero theme at his funeral service
Anthony’s love for protectors like Batman and Superman is what prompted the theme at his funeral service.
At school, Anthony was known for being the only student to befriend a classmate who was being bullied, protecting him after he was surrounded by pushing the others away.
At home, he had six siblings, and was said to have often stepped in to protect them from beatings, taking the brunt of his mother’s and her boyfriend’s alleged abuse, himself.
Mourners were superhero shirts to celebrate Anthony’s courage at his funeral on Friday
Pallbearers are shown here, overcome with emotion, at Anthony’s funeral on Friday
Mourners struggled to contain their emotions as Anthony’s service was underway on Friday
His aunt, Maria Barron, joined others in wearing a tee shirt printed with a photo of Anthony that read, ‘Forever In Our Hearts,’ with his name written below.
‘I promise you that we will not stop fighting for justice,’ his aunt wrote to her nephew, on a Facebook post in the Justice For Anthony group, including a photo of herself standing with loved ones at Anthony’s grave site.
‘You have your whole family and community behind you. We Love You So Much.’
His injuries when he was found included bruises, abrasions, red dots, scabs, cuts and a traumatic brain injury, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said Heather Barron and Leiva, who have both been charged in Anthony’s murder, poured hot sauce on Anthony’s face and mouth, whipped him with a belt and cord, held him upside-down and dropped him on his head, multiple times.
At school, Anthony was known for being the only student to befriend a classmate who was being bullied, protecting him after he was surrounded by pushing the others away
Mourners cried, as Anthony Avalos’ body was carried to his grave site in a baby blue casket
The couple are believed to have alternated between denying Anthony any food, at all, and force-feeding him, slamming him against the floor and furniture, denying him use of the bathroom and enlisting other children who found in the home, ranging in age from 11 months to 12 years old, to inflict pain on the boy.
Since 2013, there have been 88 documented calls to LA County’s DCFS regarding alleged abuse by the couple, with at least 15 of those having been determined to be ‘substantiated,’ according to an attorney who represents Anthony’s extended family.
It was reported by the Times that family members, school administrators, at least one teacher and one counselor had told DCFS that Anthony and his siblings ‘had been denied food and water, beaten, sexually abused, dangled upside-down from a staircase, forced to crouch for hours, locked in small spaces with no access to the bathroom and forced to eat from the trash.’
Anthony’s family has now called for prosecutors to include criminal investigations of the social workers who had been associated with those calls in their case related to Anthony’s murder.
‘This is not a case of negligence. This is not a case of ‘the social workers are overworked. This is a case of flat out, deliberate indifference toward the life of Anthony Avalos,’ family attorney Brian Claypool said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Anthony had been tortured by his mom, Heather Barron, 28, and her boyfriend Kareem Leiva, 32 (pictured), for at least five days before he died on June 21
Anthony’s mother, Heather Barron, 28, is shown here in court in California
DCFS Director Bobby Cagle would not dicuss why Anthony was not removed from the home as a result of these reports, citing the ongoing investigation.
‘Since this is a part of the criminal investigation, I must refer you to the sheriff to avoid the possibility of hindering prosecution,’ he said in a statement.
‘I am focused on cooperating with their investigation and getting to the bottom of what happened, and it would be wrong to speculate while that process is moving forward.’
On June 25, Brandon Nichols, deputy director of the LA County DCFS told the Times that Anthony had ‘said he liked boys’ within recent weeks.
For him to have made such a statement under his living conditions ‘only reinforces how brave Anthony was,’ his aunt Maria said.
When asked at a news conference on June 27 on whether homophobia may have been a motivating factor for Anthony’s suspected killer or killers, LA County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Bergner said, ‘That has not come up in our investigation as motivation at this time, no.’
Sheriff McDonnell added that it was ‘too early’ to discuss motive, at this point in the investigation.
The Homicide Bureau and Special Victims Bureau are working closely with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Complex Child Abuse Unit and DCFS as this case proceeds, the LA County Sheriff’s Department said.
So far, Heather Barron has been charged with one count each of murder, torture and child abuse, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said.
Leiva was also charged with murder, torture and one count of assault on a child causing death.
For Barron, the charges carry a maximum possible sentence of 22 years to life in state prison, and for Leiva, these charge may result in a sentence of up to 32 years to life in prison.
They each remain in custody on a $2 million bond, with their arraignments continued until August 3.
Anthony’s family has now called for prosecutors to include criminal investigations of the social workers who had been associated with those calls in their case related to Anthony’s murder