Father Pleads Guilty In Son Emmanuel Haro's Murder: RivCo DA

CABAZON, CA — At a Thursday court hearing, Jake Mitchell Haro, 32, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to the murder of his infant son, Emmanuel Haro, whose reported kidnapping and death triggered national outrage.

The 7-month-old baby was killed between Aug. 5 and 14, in Riverside County. Jake Mitchell Haro pleaded guilty to felony murder of his infant son, by means of physical abuse, as well as lying to authorities that the child had been kidnapped, according to court records.

His wife, 41-year-old Rebecca Rene Haro, did not join in the plea, which was reached following negotiations with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

"In a plea to the court ... the judge in the case determines the sentence a defendant will serve," according to a District Attorney's Office statement. "Haro faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Because there are still active criminal proceedings involving Rebecca Haro, the D.A.'s office will be making no additional comments regarding the case or the guilty plea."

Superior Court Judge Gary Polk scheduled a sentencing hearing for Jake Haro on Nov. 3 at the downtown courthouse. A preliminary hearing is set for Rebecca Haro that same day. If that hearing proceeds, it will determine whether there are sufficient grounds for a trial on charges of murder and filing a false police report, the D.A.'s office said.

Jake Haro is being held without bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. Rebecca Haro, who remains charged with murder and filing a false police report, is being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

The location of baby Emmanuel's body has not yet been released.

The story of the missing baby has held the Inland Empire captive since late August. At that time, the Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin appealed for all "patience" in the release of details tied to the case.

"We understand how deeply the community and media care about baby Emmanuel and are eager for information," the D.A.'s office stated. "However, there has been a significant amount of misinformation circulating in the media and on social media, which can be confusing and frustrating for everyone. Spreading false information or rushing to conclusions can unintentionally hinder the investigation and impact court proceedings."

D.A. Mike Hestrin said in a news briefing on Aug. 27 "abuse over time" caused the baby's death. "We believe Emmanuel was severely abused ... and because of the abuse, he succumbed to those injuries," he said. The evidence they have of ongoing child abuse of baby Emmanuel was not disclosed, and the infant's body has still not been found.

The couple was arrested on Aug. 22 following a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigation, the leaders of the investigation into the baby's disappearance and death since authorities were initially alerted. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has assisted the investigation since that time.

In a jailhouse interview with one news outlet, Jake Haro denied any involvement in the infant's vanishing, insisting he was cooperating with investigators.

"There was forensic data from the crime scene," San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. "That's how we learned the jurisdiction where this crime occurred (Riverside County). Forensically, there were a number of things we were able to prove up."

He did not disclose specifics.

Hestrin said the baby's death was preventable, blaming a failure in the criminal justice system that enabled Jake Haro to remain free on probation after pleading guilty in a prior child abuse case involving his ex-wife and another infant, Carolina.

In 2023, Haro admitted a child cruelty charge, but made his plea directly to the court, avoiding negotiations with prosecutors. Hestrin said the prosecution had wanted prison for the defendant's extensive abuse of the girl, which resulted in multiple broken ribs, a fractured skull, and a brain hemorrhage, leaving her permanently bedridden.

"It was an outrageous error in judgment by this judge," Hestrin said. "If that judge had done his job, Emmanuel would be alive today."

The judge, assigned from a San Bernardino County court, was not listed in the online court register.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department personnel were examining potential body dump sites along the Moreno Valley (60) Freeway in the Badlands in the weeks that followed his arrest, without success.

Emmanuel was first reported missing in the 34000 block of Yucaipa Boulevard in Yucaipa on the evening of Aug. 14.

At that time, Rebecca Haro told deputies she'd been assaulted while standing near her vehicle, changing Emmanuel's diaper outside a Big 5 store in Yucaipa. The defendant suggested she was knocked out and that the assailant fled with the infant.

On Aug. 18, San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives served search warrants at the defendants' Ramona Street property, and "a large amount of surveillance video" was obtained from areas of interest for review, according to the agency.

Jake Haro was arrested and charged last year in Banning with illegal possession of a loaded firearm, as well as probation violations. That case hasn't been resolved.

Court documents also revealed that Haro's former spouse filed a domestic violence restraining order against him with a request to protect the couple's son.

Rebecca Haro has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

This is a developing report.

Related:

Police Have 'Strong Indication' Of Where Baby Emmanuel's Remains Are Located

4 Things To Know About The CA Case Of Missing Baby Emmanuel Haro

Prosecutors Ask Public's 'Patience' In Release of Details About Cabazon Baby