Oscar Hernandez: LA soccer coach Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino to stand trial for 13-year-old's murder
Soccer coach accused of killing teen to be arraigned
Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino was charged with one count of murder with the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child, making him eligible for the death penalty.
LOS ANGELES - A former youth soccer coach in Los Angeles County is facing trial for the 2025 murder of a 13-year-old boy and a string of alleged sexual assaults involving two other teenagers.
What we know:
Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino is charged with the murder of Oscar "Omar" Hernandez, along with the special-circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of a lewd act on a child.
Garcia-Aquino is also charged with a dozen other counts, including one count each of assault with intent to commit a lewd act involving the two surviving alleged victims, along with one count of lewd act on a child involving one of the teens at a home in Sylmar where Hernandez was living in 2022.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Additional charges filed against youth soccer coach accused of murdering 13-year-old boy
In February, prosecutors added eight new counts of sodomy of a person under 16 and one new count of oral copulation of a person under 16 involving the second alleged surviving victim between September 2022 and July 2023 in Palmdale.
Garcia-Aquino was a youth travel soccer coach with the Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club, working with different age groups in the Sylmar area. He had no reported criminal history, according to authorities.
The backstory:
Hernandez – who was reported missing two days after he traveled to Lancaster to see Garcia-Aquino on March 28, 2025 – was found dead less than a week later by the side of a road in Oxnard.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner determined Hernandez died of "acute ethanol intoxication," a highly unusual cause of death for a child, and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: SoCal youth soccer coach pleads not guilty to murder of 13-year-old boy
Evidence presented in court includes DNA recovered from the victim that matches Garcia-Aquino and cell phone data placing the defendant’s phone near the site where the boy’s body was found.
Additionally, a criminalist confirmed that DNA recovered from a sexual assault kit performed on the teen identified Garcia-Aquino as a "possible contributor."
Police also witnessed Garcia-Aquino burying a phone containing child sexual abuse materials shortly before his arrest on April 2, 2025.
New charges for soccer coach accused of killing kid
Additional criminal charges have been filed against Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, a youth soccer coach accused of murdering a 13-year-old boy and allegedly committing sex-related crimes involving two teenage boys.
Dig deeper:
One of Garcia-Aquino's other alleged victims testified earlier this month that he trusted Garcia-Aquino, who took him to his trailer after a December 2022 shopping trip. The now-17-year-old boy said that Garcia-Aquino told him that he would pay him for every shot of tequila he drank, punched him in the face, touched his genitalia and offered to give the boy money to touch him. He said that he resisted the defendant's advances.
That teen said he had never drunk alcohol before and didn't understand how each shot would affect him.
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One of the teen's friends said the boy had told him what happened upon arriving home to the apartment complex where the two each lived, and that "He didn't look OK at all."
The other boy's mother testified that her son began living at his father's request with Garcia-Aquino as a result of family issues, and that she "never trusted this man." She said her son called her in February 2024 and asked her to pick him up because "that man was sick" and that he had touched him. She said she told her son to call the police.
Officials said child sex abuse materials discovered on Garcia-Aquino's phone involved one of the surviving alleged victims named in the charges from Sept. 2022 to July 2023.
What we don't know:
While the prosecution has linked Garcia-Aquino's phone to the disposal site, defense attorneys pointed out during cross-examination that the data identifies the location of the device but cannot definitively prove who was carrying it at the time.
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The full extent of Garcia-Aquino's interactions with other players at the Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club remains under investigation.
Soccer coach pleads not guilty to murdering teen
Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino pleaded not guilty to the murder of 13-year-old Oscar "Omar" Hernandez.
What they're saying:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a sharp statement on X, calling Hernandez an "innocent child who was exploited and killed by this depraved illegal alien who should have never been in this country."
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Hernandez's family expressed their agony in a public statement, saying they are "heartbroken that someone entrusted with his care could commit such a horrific act."
What's next:
Garcia-Aquino is expected in court for his latest appearance following the judge's order to proceed to trial.
The court will continue to hear testimony regarding the dozen other counts against him, including sodomy and oral copulation involving two surviving victims.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Oscar Omar Hernandez death: California 13-year-old's soccer coach arrested after teen's body found in Oxnard
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson confirmed the office will not seek the death penalty.
If convicted on the murder and special-circumstance allegations, he will likely spend the remainder of his life in prison.
The Source: This report is based on previous FOX 11 reports, as well as information from the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. Details regarding the defendant's background and employment were provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.