Jake Haro pleads guilty to 7-month-old son Emmanuel’s murder

Jake Haro — the man charged in the suspected death of his 7-month-old son Emmanuel Haro — pleaded guilty on Thursday to second-degree murder, per ABC News affiliate KABC. The father, who cried in court as he delivered his plea, also pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm to a child and filing a false report.

The 31-year-old resident of Cabazon, Calif. — a town in Riverside County, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles — and his wife, Rebecca Haro, 41, were charged with Emmanuel’s murder, as well as filing a false police report, on Aug. 22. The couple initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. Rebecca continues to plead not guilty to the amended criminal complaint, the details of which have not been made public. Jake is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 3.

Rebecca claimed in her initial report to the police that she was attacked and that Emmanuel was kidnapped outside a Yucaipa, Calif., sporting goods store on Aug. 14. She told KTLA at the time, “If you know anything, please come forward or take him to the cops. Please come and bring my son back. I’m begging you.” However, investigators soon discovered the story was fabricated.

Jake was convicted in 2018 of abusing his 10-week-old daughter from a previous relationship, leaving her bedridden due to her injuries.

Per court documents, prosecutors believe Emmanuel may have died sometime between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14, the day Rebecca reported him missing.

“The filing in this case reflects our belief that baby Emmanuel was abused … over time, and that eventually, because of that abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said when speaking about Emmanuel’s suspected death at a press conference in August. “That’s what we believe.”

However, there have been no updates as to whether Emmanuel’s remains have been located. Authorities have extensively searched Cabazon and Yucaipa, as well as other areas nearby, in hopes of finding the child’s remains.