The murder trial continues against a California mother who left her 1-year-old son inside a hot car while she visited a Bakersfield spa.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Maya Hernandez is facing first-degree murder, willful cruelty, and involuntary manslaughter charges, in connection with the death of her son, Amillio Gutierrez.
A few days after the incident, which occurred in June, Bakersfield Lead Detective Kyle McNabb questioned Hernandez, following her arrest, according to testimony.
“What happened, I guess. I don’t know,” Hernandez said at the time, according to Court TV.
“I didn’t leave him in there to die,” she added, with McNabb responding that he did not think it was intentional.
The court heard how Hernandez told McNabb that she was a certified nursing assistant and acknowledged that she had “seen things in the news” about the dangers of leaving children alone inside a vehicle.
Hernandez reportedly said she left the air conditioner on in the car. The vehicle, however, a Toyota Corolla Hybrid, shuts off after an hour of inactivity.
Last week, Isabel Carreon, an employee at Always Beautiful Med Spa in Bakersfield, took the stand. Carreon had been at work on June 29, the day Amilio and his 2-year-old brother were left inside Hernandez’s vehicle.
Carreon testified that Hernandez arrived for a lip filler procedure, which typically lasts around 15 minutes, but the spa had been busy that day. Hernandez ended up being in the establishment for hours.
Although the spa told her she could bring her children inside the child-friendly waiting room, Hernandez decided against it, later telling investigators that they had been sleeping inside the vehicle.
Under the prosecution’s questioning, McNabb said that during a previous interview, Hernandez said she didn’t want to leave the children in the waiting room.
Meanwhile, last week, registered nurse Harmony Pacheco, employed at the spa, testified that Hernandez went to her car after the procedure to get her phone. That’s when Hernandez noticed both children unresponsive.
Hernandez returned to the spa with Amilio, who was unresponsive.
“He was purple, he had foam in his mouth, but I didn’t get such a great look at the child,” Pacheco testified. “I shouted for someone to call the ambulance, and then she went back outside.”
Another employee brought the 2-year-old to the restroom in the spa, where they applied cool water to him.
The prosecution previously said Amilio had a 107.2 degrees when he arrived at an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The other child had a temperature of 99 degrees, but survived.
The defense is challenging the murder charge but will accept the manslaughter and cruelty to children charges, Bakersfield Now reports.
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Amilio Hernandez/Family Handout]
