Echo Park Mom Pleads Not Guilty In Her Boy's Death, Alleged Abuse

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA –- An Echo Park woman whose 11-year-old son was found dead last month in a closet at her home pleaded not guilty today to murder and child abuse charges.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sergio C. Tapia II ordered Veronica Aguilar to remain jailed on $2 million bail while she awaits her next court appearance Oct. 20, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for her to stand trial.

Aguilar, 39, was charged Aug. 25 with one count each of murder and child abuse resulting in death. Three days earlier, the body of her son, Yonatan Daniel Aguilar, was found wrapped in a blanket in a closet of their home in the 2100 block of Santa Ynez Street.

"All I can say is it's always tragic when a child dies, but she's innocent until proven guilty," Aguilar's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Lawrence Tripp, told reporters outside court.

He noted that his client had been brought into the downtown courtroom wearing "what the sheriff's call a suicide smock."

"It's a garment that they put people in where they're concerned about them harming themselves," Tripp said. "For whatever reasons, the sheriff's department decided that there was some sort of danger and that's all. But as far as I know, no psychological or psychiatric evaluation of her has been done of her at this point."

He said the sheriff's department "has to make a determination whether she's really dangerous to herself and in a case this serious I would always do some sort of psychiatric evaluation of my client."

Aguilar's attorney said he has not yet been provided with any information on the cause of the boy's death, noting that he has "heard all kinds of dramatic allegations in the press about injuries and the state of the child, but I don't have any evidence at this point."

The boy allegedly died due to neglect and showed severe signs of malnutrition, according to prosecutors.

Jose Pinzon said his wife told him that her son was dead before Pinzon found his stepson's body and called 911, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Aguilar was arrested the next day.

If convicted as charged, she could face up to 15 years to life in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Capt. Julian Melendez, commanding officer of the LAPD's Juvenile Division, told the Los Angeles Times last month he was aware of three reports to the county Department of Children and Family Services regarding possible abuse of the boy. The possible abuse was also reported to police, but did not trigger an investigation by detectives from that division, according to Melendez.

The boy had not attended classes in the Los Angeles Unified School District since 2012 and was thought to have possibly been in Mexico for some time, authorities told the newspaper.

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Previous coverage: Police Charge Echo Park Mom with Child Abuse Murder

--City News Service/Images via LAPD, Shutterstock