Jake Haro appears in court in Riverside, Calif., on Thursday, September 4, 2025.
Rebecca Haro appears in court for her arraignment on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Jake Haro, the California man who killed his 7-month-old son before falsely claiming that the baby had been kidnapped, has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Haro, 32, sniffled and wiped his tears as Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Polk handed down his sentence on Monday, Nov. 3, about two weeks after he pleaded guilty to murdering 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro.

Prosecutors had requested that Haro get the maximum for Emmanuel's death and that it be added on top of a six-year sentence for abusing his 10-week-old daughter Carolina in 2018. Carolina's injuries were so severe that she is now a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic, will never walk nor feed herself for the rest of her life, is dependent on a gastrostomy tube and has cerebral palsy, prosecutors say. Her name has since been changed.

"Jake Haro murdered 7-month-old Emmanuel but, in reality, he comes before this court having taken the lives of two young children," Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin wrote to the judge. "If there are lower forms of evil in this world, I am not aware of them."

Emmanuel's maternal grandmother, Mary Beushausen, addressed the court just before the sentencing and asked for the maximum, saying that her children and grandchildren are "going through every hell in this world."

"He destroyed my whole family," Beushausen said.

Polk agreed to sentence Haro to the maximum.

"While no sentence can possibly vindicate the loss of innocence and life at the hands of Mr. Haro, a man who was supposed to protect these precious and defenseless children against harm, the sentence here is the most the court can do to ensure as much justice is done as possible," he said.

Haro's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY on Monday.

Here's what you need to know about the case, including the status of the case against Emmanuel's mother.

What happened to Emmanuel Haro?

On Aug. 14, Rebecca Haro reported that she was attacked while changing Emmanuel's diaper outside a sporting goods store in Yucaipa, California, and that the boy was then kidnapped, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities began a frantic search for the boy but soon became suspicious of Rebecca and Jake Haro because of "inconsistencies" with their stories.

The case gained national attention as authorities continued to search for Emmanuel, and police arrested the Haros on Aug. 22. As of Nov. 3, Emmanuel's body has not been found, though Hestrin has said investigators believe they know the area where he was left.

Jake Haro was seen after his arrest with deputies apparently searching a remote area of Riverside County.

What is happening with Rebecca Haro's case?

Rebecca Haro has pleaded not guilty to murdering Emmanuel. On Monday her attorney appeared in court on her behalf to discuss the unsealing of a document but that hearing was continued until december, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

She is scheduled for a settlement conference on Jan. 21. Her attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY late Monday.

In a statement on Monday, Hestrin said that "the lies told in this case only deepened the tragedy of Emmanuel's death" and that the sentence against Jake Haro "represents a measure of accountability."

"Our office will continue to seek justice as the case against his co-defendant moves forward," he said.

Contributing: Christopher Damien, Palm Springs Desert Sun

Amanda Lee Myers is a senior crime reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X at @amandaleeusat.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Evil': Jake Haro sentenced to 25 years to life in murder of 7-month-old son Emmanuel

Reporting by Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect