California dad sentenced for autistic daughter’s death on highway

By Christian Balderas & Ricardo Tovar

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    PRUNEDALE, California (KSBW) — A Prunedale father has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the negligent death of his autistic daughter.

Jermain Gonzalez, 43, agreed to plead no contest after being charged in the death of his daughter, who was killed when she was hit by a car while trying to cross Highway 101 in 2023.

Gonzalez was charged by the Monterey County district attorney’s office with second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and three counts of felony child abuse.

“It’s sad all around. This is not a case where we have a suspect who wanted the victim to die or affirmatively took any action. This is a case where it’s more of a failure to act,” Deputy District Attorney Cristina Johnson said.

Read More: Prunedale dad charged with autistic daughter’s death takes plea deal

By agreeing to a no-contest plea, the second-degree murder charge will be dropped, and he will face prison time for the remaining three felony counts, per court documents.

Gonzalez was the father of 7-year-old Eliana Paloma, who was hit and killed on Highway 101 in July 2023 after investigators say she ran away from the home in April of the same year.

When contacted, officers noticed that Gonzalez appeared “disoriented and smelled of alcohol.” He did not know that his daughter had left the trailer they shared and asked officers if Paloma had “run away again.”

“He was given the opportunity to address the court. And he did say that he should have done more and he took responsibility for what happened,” Johnson said.

The California Highway Patrol said three weeks before her death on March 20, the girl was found on the same stretch of road late at night.

Past Coverage: Prunedale father charged with murder in death of autistic daughter

Officers say Gonzalez was well aware of his daughter running away at night and did not provide essential safety and security measures for his child.

The three felony child abuse charges are for failing to install locks or secure the trailer he was sharing with his daughter, having her live in “filthy living conditions,” and for the prior Highway 101 incident in March, per court documents.

“Investigators interviewed Eliana’s family and teachers and learned that she was frequently unwashed and wearing dirty, ill-fitting clothes. Her teachers would clean her up and put her in their own children’s old clothing,” said Monterey County District Attorney Jeanine M. Pacioni. “They would share their food with her. Resources were made available to the defendant over and over to assist with Eliana’s clothing and hygiene needs. He failed to take advantage of those resources.”

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