Father of 7-month-old Emmauel Haro sentenced for son's murder
Jake Haro, the father of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, who went missing back in August, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his son's murder.
Haro, 32, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, child assault and filing a false police report on October 16. He had previously pleaded not guilty with his wife, 41-year-old Rebecca Haro, in September.
He was also sentenced for a previous child abuse case, for which the court imposed an additional six-year term, and another eight months for being a felon in possession of a firearm, said a news release from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
"The lies told in this case only deepened the tragedy of Emmanuel's death," said a statement from District Attorney Mike Hestrin. "While today's sentence represents a measure of accountability for Jake Haro, our office will continue to seek justice as the case against his codefendant moves forward."
The Cabazon couple was arrested in August after San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigators determined that claims that their infant son Emmanuel was kidnapped outside of a Big 5 store in Yucaipa on August 14 were false. Rebecca Haro told them that she was changing her son's diaper when she was punched in the eye, and that when she came to, Emmanuel was gone.
After some investigation, SBSD officials said that there were some "inconsistencies" in Rebecca's story, which she relayed via an on-air interview with CBS Los Angeles. After investigators confronted her, she stopped giving interviews.
A search warrant was served at the couple's home on August 18. Investigators said that they recovered a "large amount of surveillance video" from the area for review at the time.
On August 22, just eight days after they said Emmanuel was missing, Jake and Rebecca Haro were taken into custody at their home in Cabazon, at which point investigators said the couple's account of the events leading to their son's disappearance didn't add up. They were both charged with murder on August 26.
Since then, Jake Haro has remained behind bars at the Smith Correction Facility without bail.
Several days after his arrest, he was seen on the side of the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley. He was wearing orange inmate attire and was accompanied by deputies and cadaver dogs. Authorities never indicated why they were searching the area.
Haro was arrested and charged in 2024 for illegal possession of a loaded firearm and probation violations. As the investigation continued, CBS News Los Angeles learned that his ex-wife had filed a domestic violence restraining order against him with a request to protect a child they shared.
He also pleaded directly to a Riverside County court in 2023 on a child cruelty charge. Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin commented on the ruling after Haro's August arrest, stating that "if the judge had done his job, Emmanuel would be alive today."
"Prior to any plea to the court in that case, we strongly objected to the proposed sentence," said a statement from Hestrin. "Our objection was made based on the seriousness of the injuries Mr. Haro inflicted on his then-10-week-old daughter. When the court chose to deviate ... it was acutely aware of the heinous and permanent nature of this young victim's injuries. We believe that granting Haro probation under these circumstances, on these facts, was an inappropriate use of discretion."
Emmanuel's remains have not yet been found.
Rebecca Haro was also due in court on Monday for a preliminary hearing. She also has a date scheduled on Jan. 21, 2026 for a felony settlement hearing, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. She previously pleaded not guilty to murder and filing a false police report and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
