A Cabazon man accused of killing his 7-month-old baby changed his plea Thursday, a month after his wife triggered an investigation after claiming the toddler was kidnapped.
Jake Mitchell Haro, 32, and Rebecca Rene Haro, 41, were arrested last month following an investigation into the disappearance of baby Emmanuel. Along with murder, both are charged with filing a false police report.
Jake Haro has now pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with his sentencing expected to be held on on Nov. 3.
Rebecca Haro was scheduled to have her preliminary hearing on Nov. 3.
The couple also has a 2-year-old child, who has since been taken into custody by Riverside County Child Protective Services, according to authorities.
Jake Haro was convicted in 2021 for cruelty to a child and in 2024 for being a felon in possession of a handgun.
An arrest warrant was filed for Jake Haro in the child cruelty case in October 2018 involving a baby girl. Authorities responded to his home after the girl was admitted to a hospital with multiple broken bones. According to the court documents, Jake Haro told investigators that he accidentally dropped the girl on a sink as he bathed her. Doctors reported rib and skull fractures, and a brain hemorrhage, according to the court documents.
Jake Haro pleaded guilty to felony child endangerment and was sentenced to felony probation for four years and ordered to serve 180 day in jail on a work release program, the Riverside County District Attorney said.
During a 45-minute news conference last month, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said Baby Emmanuel was the victim of “child abuse over time” and, eventually, “succumbed to those injuries.” The search continues for the baby.
The couple also has a 2-year-old child, who has since been taken into custody by Riverside County Child Protective Services, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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