Jonathan Hatami

After graduating from high school in 1989, Hatami enlisted in the United States Army as a private.[1][13] He was honorably discharged in 1996.[1][13] Hatami was in the Infantry before transferring to the Military Police Corps, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant.[1][13] He was largely stationed in South Korea, but also served in Panama, Guantanamo Bay during the 1991 Haitian refugee crisis, and Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.[13]

While in the Army, Hatami was able to come to terms with the fact that he was a victim of child abuse.[14] He decided to do something meaningful in his life to help abused and neglected children.[14]

After completing his military service, Hatami returned to California and enrolled at the College of the Canyons, where he developed an interest in criminal justice.[5] He transferred to California State University Northridge to complete his undergraduate degree.[1][5] Hatami received a full scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska College of Law, graduating with a J.D. degree in 2002.[1][5]

Following graduation, Hatami clerked for Judge Sievers of the Nebraska Court of Appeals for one year.[1][5] He moved back to Los Angeles, California to practice law as a civil attorney.[13] When Hatami’s firm opened an office in New York, he practiced there for a year, then returned to California to continue his practice.[13]

On May 22, 2013, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, covered in injuries, was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital, then flown to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.[16][17][18] Two days later, he was declared brain dead and taken off life support.[19] Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her live-in boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were arrested and charged with Gabriel’s torture and murder.[20]

In September 2017, the trials of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre commenced, with Hatami and Deputy District Attorney Scott Yang leading the prosecution.[9][21][22] After four months, Isauro Aguirre was found guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of torture and was sentenced to death.[23][24][25] In order to avoid the death penalty, Pearl Fernandez pleaded guilty to all charges and allegations, agreeing to waive all her appellate rights, in exchange for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.[26][27]

In April 2021, Pearl Fernandez applied to be re-sentenced under California Penal Code Section 1170.95.[26][28][29] Pearl Fernandez’s petition was denied by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli in June 2021.[30][31]

In 2018, two weeks after the sentencing of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre, Hatami received a call from an Antelope Valley Hospital nurse.[7][32] The nurse told Hatami that what happened to Gabriel happened again to another boy.[7][32] 10-year-old Anthony Avalos was found dead in the home of his mother, Heather Barron, and her live-in boyfriend, Kareem Leiva.[7][33][34] Both Barron and Leiva were arrested and charged in the child’s torture and murder.[7][35] Reflecting on how receiving the news made him feel, Hatami said, “... it was just very disappointing, deflating, sad...”[32]

Anthony’s trial commenced in January 2023.[36] On March 7, 2023 Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva were found guilty of the torture and murder of Anthony Avalos.[7][37] Barron and Leiva were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on April 25, 2023. Although originally a death penalty case, Governor Gavin Newsom has implemented a moratorium on capital punishment and District Attorney George Gascón has issued a directive for prosecutors not to seek it.[38][39][40]

In 2019, 4-year-old Noah Cuatro was found dead in his apartment. His parents claimed that he drowned in the pool of his apartment complex.[2][41] Both Noah’s mother, Ursula Juarez, and father, Jose Cuatro, were arrested and charged in the 4-year old’s torture, sexual assault, and murder.[2][42] The case is still ongoing.[43] Hatami is leading the prosecution of Juarez and Cuatro.

As a Deputy District Attorney, Hatami helped change state law to provide increased restitution for victims of child sexual abuse in California.[13][44][45] The change in state law was accomplished through Hatami’s successful prosecution and conviction of Renoir Valenti in 2014.[45][46][47]

In 2014, Renoir Valenti, an Antelope Valley youth soccer coach, was convicted of molesting 15 young boys over a period of 17 years.[46][47] As a result of Valenti’s conviction in 2014, the 15 victims were awarded restitution by the court.[13][44] By 2016, some of the victims were unable to receive restitution from the court due to a loophole in state law that prevented many child victims of sexual assault from receiving restitution that would cover mental health services necessary to treat psychological trauma.[13][44][45][48]

The need to close this loophole led Hatami, along with the Los Angeles District Attorney and the Crime Victims Action Alliance, to partner with California State Senator Henry Stern to introduce a bill to change the law.[13][44][45][48] California State Senate Bill 756 received support from law enforcement and district attorneys throughout the state of California.[44] The bill also received unanimous approval from members of both the State Assembly and Senate.[44][45][48]

On July 21, 2017, Senate Bill 756 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown and took effect on January 1, 2018.[44][45][49]