It’s been a month since the true crime story broke about the parents of Emmanuel Haro who claimed their baby boy was “kidnapped from a California parking lot.” Sadly, Emmanuel “hasn’t been seen since,” per Banfield.
Furthermore, police believe Emmanuel ended up murdered “as early as August 5th” and charged both parents. Disturbingly, the father, Jake Haro, previously faced charges for abusing one of his other children. And now the focus turns to the way the courts handled that.
Breaking Down The Abuse Charges
On her show, Banfield, on News Nation on Monday night, Ashleigh Banfield broke down the troubling case from Yucaipa, California. She revisited the fact that in 2018, Jake Haro “abused his newborn daughter, Carolina, so badly, in fact, she remains brain damaged and bedridden to this day.”
In 2023, he pleaded guilty “to willful child cruelty.” Shockingly, he received what Banfield called a “sweetheart deal” of six years suspended, which meant he “received probation instead of prison time.”
Banfield reminded viewers that The Riverside County District Attorney, “Mike Hestrin,” publicly attacked the judge’s decision, calling it a travesty. In a press conference and a written statement, about the true crime case, the DA claimed the judge “chose to deviate from prosecutors’ recommendations.”
Five Years To Move On Haro
According to the DA’s office, the “charges would have been stiffer” had Haro not pleaded guilty before the case reached a preliminary hearing. However, Banfield questioned this claim, asking why the DA’s office had “five years” to secure more serious charges but failed to do so.
In any case, Jake Haro received his freedom and ended up on probation. He allegedly violated that probation in 2024 by illegally possessing “a handgun.” Although he “went in and out of court three times” prosecutors never once objected to his freedom on a “$60,000 bail.”
Banfield noted that most people caught with a gun while on probation would immediately return to jail. As a result, in the following months, “baby Emmanuel disappeared” and presumably ended up murdered.
The DA Denied Wanting Haro Free
The judge involved in the case made a rare comment in his defense. He stated that in “18 years,” this was his first time being criticized for a decision he made.
Meanwhile, Banfield note that the DA’s office responded that “the court,” not their office, set Jake Haro’s bail. Consequently, a great deal of controversy now surrounds the true crime case. So now, in the absence of the baby being found, the focus remains on the judicial system’s failure to protect a defenseless child.
Reactions In The Comments
In the comments section, many people agreed that the criminal justice system seemed to protect a man who should never have been in the home with kids. One of them opined, “What a joke of the criminal justice system. How much more sad can it get. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Here are few more reactions from the discussion area:
- my brain hurts but in a good way.
- THE JUDGE THA LET GO OF JAKE HARO WAS JORGE HERNANDEZ.
- Crazy how much news has happened since this story. I still haven’t forgotten about baby Emmanuel.
- Prosecute that judge.
Apparently, the DA’s office promised an updated press conference about it in the near future.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your true crime news and updates.