What happened to Gabriel Fernandez’s father Arnold Contreras?
THE world was shocked when Gabriel Fernandez, eight, was systematically tortured and eventually murdered by his mother and stepfather.
But people have been wondering where his real father was during the time he was being abused.
What happened to Gabriel Fernandez's father Arnold Contreras?
Arnold Contreras was in prison at the time his eight-year-old son Gabriel Fernandez was being violently abused.
When the young boy was being beaten and eventually tortured to death by his mother Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre, Contreras was behind bars.
He only learned that his young son was being taken off life support when told by a chaplain while in custody at the Riverside County Jail, according to the new .
The series documents both the horrific crime that took Gabriel's life and the failures of the legal system that was supposed to protect the boy.
What has Gabriel Fernandez's father Arnold Contreras said about his death?
Contreras was devastated by the news of his son's death.
In the documentary prosecutor Jon Hatami said: “I can tell you that he [Contreras] loved Gabriel and he still loves him.
“I can tell you that he is heartbroken.
"I can tell you that he feels it’s his fault and if he was out of custody, he would have saved Gabriel.”
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez
Where is Arnold Contreras now?
As of 2020 Contreras is once again behind bars, serving time in the Calipatria State Prison after being convicted on two separate charges.
Terry Thornton, the deputy press secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told that Contreras was convicted in May 2018 in Los Angeles County on a first charge of acquiring and retaining personal identification information and was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
He was convicted on a second charge on January 25, 2019, and given a one-year and four-month sentence to be served consecutively with his 2018 sentence.