Youth Soccer Coach Charged in Murder of California Teen

Oscar Omar Hernandez, 13, was found dead on a Southern California roadside earlier this month—and now youth soccer coach Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino has been charged with the young teen's murder. The charges include murder with a special circumstance of lewd acts with a child, making Garcia-Aquino eligible for the death penalty, the AP reports.

Prosecutors say the boy was reported missing by his family on March 30 after he boarded a train to visit Garcia-Aquino in Lancaster on March 28 and never returned home. His body was discovered several days later in Ventura County, where prosecutors allege Garcia-Aquino dumped his body. In a separate case, Garcia-Aquino is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old male in Palmdale after befriending the teen's family, and officials say there may be more victims. Neighbors tell NBC LA there were often children playing soccer at Garcia-Aquino's house.

"No parent should ever have to endure the unimaginable pain and sorrow of learning their child has been murdered," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. Outlets are reporting Garcia-Aquino entered the US illegally, though that has not been officially confirmed, and a US attorney in Los Angeles tells NBC LA the murder was "the result of failed border policies." (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)