Arely Naomi Proctor was smothered and choked for more than 12 hours by relatives who believed they were expelling an "evil demon," authorities said.
A 3-year-old California toddler tried to escape and said "I love you," to her mother while being suffocated in a 2021 exorcism that killed the child, prosecutors say.
“During this assault, Arely ... fought for her life as three trusted adults forcibly grabbed her by her neck, torso, back, and legs, smothered her by repeatedly attempting to pry open her mouth to make her vomit, and held her with so much force that she had internal bleeding and injuries,” Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise wrote in recent court documents.
“The evidence shows that while this assault was ongoing, Arely struggled to escape from her abusers. She clamped her mouth in resistance to the adults who were trying to pry it open," Wise said.
A judge on Tuesday delayed a decision on whether the child’s mother, grandfather and uncle should be tried on criminal charges in the toddler's death. Judge Hanley Chew postponed the hearing until May 13, allowing attorneys more time to file briefs arguing whether Chew has seen sufficient evidence to uphold the charges and send the case to trial.
Mom Claudia Hernandez, grandfather Rene Trigueros Hernandez and uncle Rene Aaron Hernandez-Santos have each been charged with child abuse causing death. All three have pleaded not guilty and have been held without bail since their 2022 arrests.
Defense attorneys have argued in court that their clients did not intend to kill Arely Proctor, and that the mother genuinely believed her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit.
The elder Hernandez, also known as Rene Huezo, was the pastor of a group of Pentecostal worshippers calling themselves Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, who met at a San Jose house, authorities said.
An autopsy found extensive bruising to the girl's face, neck and back, and internal bleeding in her heart, bowel, and pancreas, caused by the chest pressure, the district attorney's office said.
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