In the weeks leading up to his death, Avalos had reportedly come out as gay, according to an earlier Los Angles Times article. Investigators were trying to determine whether that may have been a motive for the abuse.
His mother reportedly called 911 on June 20 to report her son had fallen, but when police arrived they found the young boy unresponsive, KTLA reports. He was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day.
The boy’s relatives, who were in court Wednesday, have voiced anger that the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services didn’t remove the boy from the home after repeated investigations into the couple’s behavior. The department had reportedly investigated more than 88 claims of abuse since 2013, according to the LA Times.
“We want a full-blown investigation,” Barron’s brother David Barron told reporters after the hearing, according to the Los Angeles Times.
His wife, Maria Barron, praised prosecutors for the new charges, but said nothing would be able to give her closure.
“They might get the death penalty, but that’s not going to bring Anthony back,” she said, according to KTLA.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 27.
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