Baby Emmanuel’s father Jake Haro sentenced to 25 years to life in 7-month-old son’s murder

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) — The Cabazon man who killed his 7-month-old son, Emmanuel Haro, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Monday.

Baby Emmanuel’s parents reported him missing back in August, but his body has not been found. He is presumed to be dead.

Last month, Jake Haro pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, assault causing bodily harm to a child and filing a false police report.

No new information came to light regarding the whereabouts of the missing baby’s body.

Meanwhile, the child’s mother, Rebecca Haro, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the case of her missing son. She’s also expected in court Monday for a preliminary hearing.

Jake and Rebecca Haro were taken into custody in August after a multi-agency investigation into the disappearance and presumed death of their son.

It began Aug. 14, when Rebecca said she was attacked and the baby was kidnapped in a Big 5 parking lot in Yucaipa.

Questions were raised after authorities said there were inconsistencies in the parents’ story, leading them to search their Cabazon home multiple times before they were arrested and charged.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin said Emmanuel’s death was preventable, blaming a failure in the criminal justice system for enabling Jake Haro to remain free on probation after pleading guilty in a child abuse case involving his ex-wife and another infant, Carolina.

In 2023, Haro admitted a child cruelty charge, but again pleaded directly to the court, avoiding negotiations with prosecutors. Hestrin said the D.A.’s office had wanted prison for the defendant’s extensive abuse of the girl, which resulted in broken ribs, a fractured skull and a brain hemorrhage, leaving her permanently bedridden.

“If that judge had done his job, Emmanuel would be alive today,” he said.

“Prior to any plea to the court in that case, we strongly objected to the proposed sentence,” according to the D.A.’s office. “Our objection was made based on the seriousness of the injuries Mr. Haro inflicted on his then-10-week-old daughter. When the court chose to deviate (from the prosecution’s effort to secure prison) … it was acutely aware of the heinous and permanent nature of this young victim’s injuries. We believe that granting Haro probation under these circumstances, on these facts, was an inappropriate use of (the court’s) discretion.”

City News Service contributed to this report.