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Jake Haro has been sentenced to 25-years-to-life in California state prison for the murder of his seven-month-old son Emmanuel, a child the family originally claimed was kidnapped in August, setting off a sweeping manhunt.
Haro, 32, dabbed at tears in a Riverside County courthouse on Monday as the judge read out the sentence for the “senseless assault and murder” that claimed Emmanuel’s life.
“While no sentence can possible 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 evil and harm, the sentence here is the most the court can do to ensure that as much justice is done as possible,” the judge said.
Emmanuel’s maternal grandmother, Mary Veushausem, told the court the baby’s death had “destroyed my whole family.” She faulted the justice system for giving Haro a “second chance” after a 2023 conviction for willful cruelty against his child from a previous marriage, which resulted in a sentence of 180 days in a sheriff’s work-release program.
“He had a second chance,” she said. “My daughter didn’t have a chance with him. His children didn’t have a second chance. I think the judge that let him go should be here sitting with him.”
Haro pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last month.
Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel’s mother, has pleaded not guilty to murder and is scheduled for a settlement conference in January 2026.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
