‘The Trials Of Gabriel Fernandez’ is a Netflix docu-series examining the case of an 8-year-old Los Angeles boy who died at the hands of his mom and her boyfriend. Gabriel Fernandez died in May 2013 after being tortured for months by his mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her partner, Isauro Aguirre. His death outraged residents after it emerged that the little boy’s case was known to his school and to the Department of Children & Family Services. The docu-series looks into the case in depth, including what happened to Gabriel and how the system failed him.
Directed by Brian Knappenberger, the documentary takes the camera into the Los Angeles courtroom during the trial of Isauro and the sentencing of Pearl. Ultimately, in 2018 – five years after little Gabriel’s death – the lovers were made to pay for torturing the schoolboy. Pearl pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Isauro was sentenced to death.
