OFF THE HOOK Real reason ‘killer’ dad Jake Haro was not already in jail after ‘abusing daughter years before murdering son Emmanuel’
A spokesperon told The U.S. Sun why he was still out free
THE reason accused baby killer Jake Hero was not in jail after violating his probation following an earlier conviction for child cruelty has been revealed.
Jake and his wife, Rebecca, have pleaded not guilty to murder after the disappearance of their seven-month-old son, Emmanuel.
The couple initially claimed their baby had been kidnapped while Rebecca was changing his diaper in a parking lot of a Big 5 Sporting Goods in Yucaipa, California.
But cops claimed to have noticed their account of events did not line up after questioning the pair.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested them on August 22 at their home in Cabazon, California.
The Riverside District Attorney and Riverside Sheriff’s deputies are also now involved in the case.
There was outrage when locals discovered Jake had a previous conviction for wilful child cruelty, after abusing his 10-week-old daughter and leaving her permanently disabled.
The little girl, now seven, has been adopted, and the family has declined to comment on his arrest.
Michael Hestrin, Riverside District Attorney, slammed a judge’s decision to give Jake another chance after he pleaded guilty.
The judge gave him a suspended sentence, essentially equating to a probation sentence with 180 days in a work release program.
NO COURT RESTRICTIONS
But Jake, 32, had another run-in with the law and violated his probation, and was caught with a firearm.
Again, he posted bail and was awaiting a court date when he allegedly murdered his son.
Asked about the reason Jake was allowed bail, a spokesperson for the DA’s office told The U.S. Sun, “When Jake Haro violated his probation in August 2024, he was immediately jailed but posted bail on both the new gun case and the violation of probation.
“He was not on parole at the time; rather, he was on probation.
“The decision to continue the case rather than proceed with immediate detention was made by the court, based on various reasons, some being the ongoing investigation and the need for preparation of the underlying gun case for hearing.
“The court did not place any restrictions, such as curfews or other conditions, beyond those associated with his bail.
“Regarding Baby Emmanuel, he was not yet born when Jake Haro’s probation was violated.
“Therefore, there were no court-ordered restrictions on Emmanuel.”
But the Long Beach Post reported the DA’s office didn’t oppose Jake Haro remaining free on $60,000 bail.
“At least three times prior to August 2025, when Jake Haro allegedly murdered baby Emmanuel, the DA’s office appeared in court on the new cases but didn’t oppose requests by the defense attorney to continue the matter while Jake Haro remained out of custody,” they reported in a recent article.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the DA’s office for further comment, but did not hear back.
According to transcripts reviewed by the Long Beach Post, during the most recent hearing, on July 2, 2025, Jake appeared before a Riverside County Superior Court judge along with a lawyer.
Deputy DA Connor Rathbun told the court that, “Mr. Haro’s counsel of record is currently engaged in a child custody matter, and he’s asking to come back September 2nd. I have no opposition to that.”
It was just weeks later that Jake and Rebecca allegedly murdered their son.
Despite the office not opposing bail, Hestrin said the criminal justice system “broke down”.
Hestrin called the decision by the judge to let Jake avoid a prison sentence after abusing his daughter “outrageous.”
“If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today,” he said, although he would not have been born.
“That’s a shame and it’s an outrage … When our criminal justice system breaks down, I’m going to call it like it is and say it broke down.”
He listed the injuries suffered by Jake’s older daughter, including broken ribs, healing fractures, a partial skull fracture, and a broken leg, saying she is “bedridden”.
“Someone who does that to a child belongs in prison, period,” he said.
The baby’s mother, Jake’s ex-wife, Vanessa Avina, also pleaded guilty to child cruelty but escaped jail.
Her mother, Margarita, alleged in an interview with The U.S. Sun that she was abused by Jake and was “not in her right mind,” but would never harm their child, who was left alone with him.
Since Jake’s arrest this month, many have taken to social media to express their anger over how the previous case was handled by the courts, with one writing, “The system completely failed Emmanuel.”
Another posted, “Jake Haro never should have seen the light of day after what he did to his 10 week old daughter. Haro pled down to cruelty to a child after repeatedly breaking his daughter’s bones and giving her irreversible brain damage (sic).”
They added, “Shame on the system who allowed his plea and who allowed him to have custody of any child (sic).”
Judge Dwight W. Moore, who handed Jake a suspended sentence in 2023, told the Long Beach Post that ethical rules prevent him from explaining his decision to grant probation.
“I’m absolutely precluded from commenting publicly about the case,” he told the outlet.
“In 18 years, this is the first time I’ve been taken to task in this manner about a decision I’ve made.”