Lack of ‘coordination’ delayed murder suspect’s arrest: DA
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has expressed concern over the lack of coordination within the LAPD, which he believes delayed the arrest of illegal immigrant Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, now accused of murdering 13-year-old Oscar “Omar” Hernandez. Garcia-Aquino was arrested on April 2, the same day Hernandez’s body was discovered, yet the police had charged Garcia-Aquino wiht a different crime in 2022 but obtained the arrest warrant only after Hernandez went missing. Hochman highlighted a need for improved cooperation among police investigations, especially regarding allegations of sexual violence, to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future. Garcia-Aquino now faces severe charges, including the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
LA district attorney claims lack of ‘coordination’ delayed arrest of illegal murder suspect
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman lamented that the city’s police department did not coordinate in time to arrest an illegal immigrant now accused of murdering a teenage player on the soccer team he coached.
Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, 44, was arrested on April 2 for the death of 13-year-old Oscar “Omar” Hernandez. Garcia-Aquino is also facing one felony count of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense against another victim who was 16 at the time.
Hochman revealed on Fox News’s Fox and Friends Wednesday that the LAPD had charged Garcia-Aquino for the 2024 crime just before Hernandez disappeared but did not acquire the arrest warrant until after his alleged murder. The first allegation against this suspect, who is a youth soccer coach, initially came in 2022.
“You just got this job,” Fox News host Brian Kilmeade said. “And the speed just seems to be unacceptable. Is it a manpower issue?”
“Well, it’s all of the above. I think that the — you know, again, the LAPD that investigated the first case, you know, did not have coordination on the second case. When we brought in the coordination, all three cases came together very quickly,” Hocman said. “Under my administration, sexual violence cases are a high, high priority. And we’re making sure that any type of allegations like this come in, there is maximum cooperation from the beginning so we don’t hopefully have a tragedy like this.”
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Hernandez’s body was found in Oxnard, Ventura County, on April 2, the day police were granted Garcia-Aquino’s arrest warrant. His parents had reported him missing on March 30.
Now, Garcia-Aquino faces the maximum sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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