RIVERSIDE, CA – A Riverside County man who admitted to killing his 7-month-old son has been sentenced to more than 31 years to life in prison following a case that began with a fabricated kidnapping story.
Jake Haro, 32, was sentenced Monday on charges of child abuse resulting in death, along with additional counts stemming from a prior child abuse case and illegal firearm possession, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
For the primary charge of child abuse resulting in death, Haro received 25 years to life. The court added six years for a previous child abuse conviction and eight months for being a felon in possession of a firearm. With time served credited at approximately 18 months, Haro will spend at least 31 years and eight months behind bars.
The court also ordered Haro to pay $10,000 in restitution.
The case began in August when Haro and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, reported their infant son Emmanuel had been kidnapped from outside a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Yucaipa. Investigators quickly became suspicious of the parents’ account.
Prosecutors determined that Emmanuel died as a result of prolonged abuse rather than being abducted. The infant’s body has not been recovered.
Haro changed his plea to guilty on October 16, nearly two months after his arrest. He was already on probation at the time of Emmanuel’s death for a separate child abuse case involving another of his children, a then-10-week-old daughter who developed cerebral palsy as a result of the abuse.
“The lies told in this case only deepened the tragedy of Emmanuel’s death,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. “While today’s sentence represents a measure of accountability for Jake Haro, our office will continue to seek justice as the case against this defendant moves forward.”
Rebecca Haro faces charges of murder and filing a false police report. She has entered a not guilty plea and remains in custody awaiting trial.
The disappearance of Emmanuel Haro initially sparked a search effort in the Yucaipa area before investigators shifted their focus to the parents. The lack of physical evidence supporting the kidnapping story, combined with inconsistencies in the couple’s statements, led authorities to conclude the abduction report was fabricated.
