BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Maya Hernandez, whose 1-year-old son died after she left him for hours in a car in June in Bakersfield while she went to a medical spa, has been assigned a courtroom for trial.
Judge Charles R. Brehmer in Department 4 will preside over the trial, court officials said Monday. It’s expected to last several weeks.
Hernandez faces a life term in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. She’s also charged with involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty.
The Visalia woman left her sons, 1 and 2, in her Toyota Corolla Hybrid on June 29 while she got a lip filler injection, according to court documents.
Temperatures reached 101 degrees in Bakersfield that afternoon.
Amillio Gutierrez was rushed to Adventist Health, where his body temperature measured 107 degrees. He was pronounced dead after 40 minutes of attempts to save him, court documents said.
The other boy survived.
Hernandez told investigators she left the air conditioner running, but that vehicle model shuts off after an hour if no action is taken, according to the documents.
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