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Young girl who died during 2021 San Jose “exorcism” by family members fought for her life, court documents say
Court documents in the case of three San Jose family members charged in the alleged child-abuse death of a three-year-old girl during a brutal 2021 exorcism ritual at a makeshift church reveal the child fought to escape even as she declared her love for her mother, who was one of her assailants.
The court documents detail the testimony given during the preliminary hearing for defendants Claudia Hernandez, Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos, and Rene Trigueros Hernandez between March 18-25 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The defendants are the mother, uncle and grandfather of three-year-old Arely Doe, the young girl who was found dead at the makeshift church housed on private residential property in San Jose on September 24, 2021.
The documents filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office noted in the opening summary that the young girl “fought for her life as three trusted adults forcibly grabbed her by her neck, torso, back, and legs.” In addition to smothering “her by repeatedly attempting to pry open her mouth to make her vomit” — which the family members told officers would make the child expel the spirit that possessed her — her mother, uncle and grandfather repeatedly rendered her unconsciousness with pressure to her neck and torso and “held her with so much force that she had internal bleeding and injuries.”
The DA’s office noted that even as “she was fighting for her life” at the hands of her immediate family, “she told her mother, ‘I love you.'”
The documents also provided information from statements that Claudia Hernandez and her brother Rene provided to police. Hernandez told officers that the she believed Arley to be under possession of a demon insider her because she was screaming and crying and “her eyes were different” the night before she and Rene brought the child to the makeshift church where her father was a pastor. They continued to try to hold her still, struggling to grip her around the neck and torso with Hernandez telling officers “Arely would say “I love you” in Spanish” as they tried to hold her.
It was after hours of holding the young girl down and trying to force her to vomit to expel the demon that she eventually succumbed to the injuries she suffered during the attempted “exorcism” early the evening of September 24.
Hernandez told police that night “God made her understand that Arely was not coming back and was gone.” A day after the child’s death while they were still in custody, Hernandez told her brother that “God…told her that God had taken Arely on Thursday, and it was because of demons” and that he also said “they were not going to be guilty.”
The documents also included details from the testimony of Dr. Michelle Jorden, the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner and Neuropathologist for Santa Clara County. Jorden discussed the autopsy she performed on the child and said “Arely died of asphyxia due to combined mechanical asphyxia and smothering.”
The judge in the case was schedule to rule on whether the three defendants would face a trial by jury Tuesday, but according to a report by the San Jose Mercury News, the judge pushed the date of his decision back to May 13 in order to allow all the attorneys involved in the case to submit briefs arguing whether he has seen sufficient evidence to uphold the charges.
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CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
