A California father has entered a guilty plea for the murder of his 7-month-old son, an announcement from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office revealed Thursday. Jake Haro, 32, was admitted to the charges of second-degree murder, assault on a child causing death, and filing a false police report, as detailed in an article by KTLA. Haro had previously pled not guilty in September, only to reverse his plea in court, facing a potential life sentence with a minimum of 25 years.
In a twist of judicial procedure, Haro directly pleaded guilty to the court without any plea agreement in place. According to the DA’s Office, "In a plea to the court, a defendant enters guilty pleas to all charged counts and the judge in the case determines the sentence a defendant will serve." Rebecca Haro, Jake's wife, however, still remains charged with murder and filing a false police report, as per information NBC Los Angeles reported. The couple initially claimed their son Emmanuel was kidnapped outside a sporting goods store last August, which led investigators to uncover a grimmer reality.
Haro's admission starkly contradicts the couple's previous televised pleas for their son's safe return. It comes to light amid a backdrop of prior convictions for Jake Haro, who was already on probation for child abuse involving another infant daughter in a separate case. The district attorney, Michael Hestrin, publicly criticized a past leniency shown to Haro, stating, "He decided that Mr. Haro deserved an extra break and work release," calling the decision "outrageous" in an interview with KTLA.
Despite Haro’s plea, the whereabouts of baby Emmanuel's remains are yet to be discovered. The other child of the Haros, a 2-year-old, was taken into custody by Riverside County Child Protective Services following their arrests. Jake Haro's sentencing has been set for Nov. 3, where the grief of an irrecoverable loss shall be weighed against the scale of justice, and Rebecca Haro's preliminary hearing will be held on the same date, as noted by NBC Los Angeles.
