Funeral for 13-year-old boy found dead in Oxnard to be held today
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A funeral will be held Saturday afternoon for a 13-year-old boy whose body was found by the side of a road in Oxnard.
The mass will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Angeles at 3 p.m. followed by a private burial.
Investigators found the body of Oscar Omar Hernandez last week.
Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, who was identified by family members as the boy's soccer coach, was charged with murdering Hernandez.
Garcia Aquino appeared in court Tuesday in connection with the case. No plea was made and arraignment was continued to April 30. He is being held without bail.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced the charge against Garcia Aquino Monday as he stood with the victim's parents and sister at a news conference.
The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of a lewd act with a child, with the District Attorney's Office expected to subsequently determine "whether or not the death penalty is appropriate for this particular case," Hochman said.
Garcia Aquino faces a possible maximum sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection to the teen's death.
The victim's brother, Daniel Hernandez, told Eyewitness News he wanted "justice and whatever the full extent of punishment of the law allows."
Garcia Aquino was arrested in an unrelated case in which he is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024. He was charged with one felony count of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense and faces a possible maximum sentence of six years in state prison in that case.
He is also accused of assaulting a 14-year-old teenager at his then-home in Sylmar on Dec. 10, 2022.
"Sexual predators who target victims for their own gratification will be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Hochman said.
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Garcia Aquino killed Hernandez on March 28 in Lancaster and dumped his body in Ventura County, prosecutors allege.
That day, the teen had boarded a Metrolink train to Lancaster to help the soccer coach at a complex. When he didn't return home that night, the family worried and started looking for him. He was reported missing by his family two days later.
Investigators found the boy's body on the side of the road in Oxnard. The LAPD was assisted by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and the FBI during the investigation.
"No parent should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain and sorrow of learning their child has been murdered," Hochman said. "Oscar simply boarded a train and little did he or his family know that he would never return."
Police have not revealed what evidence led them to find his body more than 60 miles away in the remote area.
The teen's mother is devastated over her son's death. Bautista described her son as a happy kid who loved soccer and was excited that he was about to receive his visa so he could return to visit relatives in Honduras.
Detectives are still investigating. A cause of death is unknown.
Additional victims or anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (818)374-5415 or the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at (877) 710-5273.
Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can call the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this report.
