Tragic Case of 13-Year-Old Murdered by Football Coach

Authorities in California recently disclosed that a 13-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his football coach, who is an illegal immigrant, before his body was found in a ditch, where he died from acute alcoholism.

Oscar Omar Hernandez was last seen on March 28 when he left his home in Sun Valley to meet his 43-year-old coach, Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino. According to complaints from the District Attorney’s Office, Hernandez’s family reported him missing two days later after he failed to return and stopped answering calls.

On April 2, his body was discovered along a road in Ventura County, and the Ventura County Medical Examiner stated that the cause of death was acute ethanol poisoning.

Garcia Aquino, who was already being investigated for two other sexual assaults, was charged with Hernandez’s murder in April. He faces one count of murder along with allegations of committing a lewd act with a child, putting him at risk of the death penalty.

Hernandez’s family indicated that he had gone to a station in the San Fernando Valley, where his coach was supposed to assist in making football jerseys for the team.

Alejandra Hernandez, Oscar’s younger sister, mentioned that the soccer coach had invited other teammates to help. She recalled, “He took other football teammates to help him, so my brother went.”

When the family attempted to call Hernandez that evening, they were surprised to find Garcia Aquino answered, claiming that the boy couldn’t speak at the moment because his hands were busy with paint. The promise was that he would drive Hernandez home the next morning, but when he didn’t show up, he told a worried family member he had dropped the boy off.

Concerns deepened when Hernandez’s phone had a message stating he was “going to the party.”

Garcia Aquino, who hails from El Salvador, is also facing a separate charge related to a suspected sexual assault on a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale earlier this year. Authorities noted that he had become close to the family of that boy, which enabled him to have access to minors.

Additionally, he is under investigation for child sexual abuse related to an incident from 2022 as per the Los Angeles Police Department.

On June 18, Garcia Aquino pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, and he is expected to return to court in August.