Anthony Avalos' mother and her boyfriend were convicted of murder in the death of the 10-year-old, whose short and tragic life exposed massive shortcomings in the county's child welfare system.
The defendants, Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva, opted to have their case heard by a judge rather than a jury. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta handed down the verdict after spending a little over two weeks reviewing evidence.
Ohta also found the couple guilty of the special circumstance of torture; they both will face life in prison without parole when they are sentenced.
