‘Trials of Gabriel Fernandez’ on Netflix is Heartbreaking

When I watch television or put on a movie most of the time I am looking to laugh or some sort of break from reality. When Savannah and I began watching 'The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' on Netflix I had no idea the rollercoaster of emotion that I was about to go on.

The six-part docuseries details a sweet 8-year-old boy, Gabriel Fernandez, who was tortured for months by his mother and her boyfriend before eventually being killed by the pair. It is still very difficult for me to wrap my head around, how parents could injure and eventually take the life of their own child.

Gabriel's mother Pearl Fernandez and her boyfriend Isauro Aguirre both faced first-degree murder charges with special circumstances of torture. Even in court when Pearl was making her statement it seemed very obvious that she was only apologetic because she was caught committing such a horrible crime. In my opinion, if Gabriel were alive today she would still be torturing her own son with her boyfriend.

It's difficult to understand why a little boy would ever be shot with a BB gun or burned with a cigarette by family members. This young man was forced to eat dirty kitty litter while his parents laughed about the harm they were causing him.

Prior to Gabriel's death, there were multiple visits to his home by different child services yet somehow they never identified a problem.

Just like so many people that watched the horrific ordeal unfold on Netflix my hope is that this case opens the door to look deeper at child abuse and more people do the right thing when they suspect child abuse is going on.

If you haven't seen the docuseries, I do recommend watching, but know that there will be times that you get angry when you heard what happened to a young boy at the hands of his own mother and her boyfriend.