The Los Angeles Times murder cover-up is under fire for omitting key facts in its coverage of a horrific crime involving the sexual abuse and murder of 13-year-old Oscar Omar Hernandez. In a report published this week, the Times repeatedly referred to the accused, 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, as a “youth soccer coach,” while failing to disclose that he is an illegal alien from El Salvador.
Garcia-Aquino has been charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office with sexually abusing Hernandez and murdering him in March. Hernandez was reported missing after traveling to Garcia-Aquino’s Lancaster home. His body was discovered weeks later in a roadside ditch in Oxnard, California.
Despite the serious charges, the Times identified Garcia-Aquino as a “youth soccer coach” four times in the article and never mentioned his immigration status. The paper’s failure to acknowledge that Garcia-Aquino is unlawfully present in the United States has drawn criticism for downplaying the immigration aspect of a case that has shaken California communities.
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli previously stated the murder was preventable and directly linked it to California’s sanctuary policies. “This was an avoidable crime and the result of failed border policies,” Essayli told NBC Los Angeles. “We cannot and will not tolerate illegal aliens who flout our nation’s immigration laws, then prey on children.”
The case has escalated with new developments. An attorney representing the Hernandez family revealed this week that the teen died of acute alcohol poisoning. Additionally, other alleged victims have come forward, including a 16-year-old boy who claims he was also sexually assaulted by Garcia-Aquino.
Garcia-Aquino remains in custody and faces the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. His case has intensified scrutiny on sanctuary policies and the failure to enforce federal immigration laws, particularly in Democrat-run states like California.
