Illegal Coach MURDERED Teen — UNTHINKABLE CHARGES

A judge holding documents with a gavel in the foreground

An illegal immigrant youth soccer coach in California allegedly raped and murdered a 13-year-old player he was trusted to mentor, exposing the deadly consequences of open-border policies that President Trump is now swiftly reversing.

Story Highlights

Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, an undocumented El Salvadoran “gotaway,” faces murder and multiple child sex abuse charges for killing 13-year-old Oscar Omar Hernandez via alcohol poisoning during a lewd act.
Pattern of abuse: Nine new counts added in February 2026 against victims he coached from 2022-2024, exploiting family trust by housing boys at his homes.
DHS condemns him as a “depraved illegal alien” who “should have never been in this country,” highlighting failures of prior lax immigration enforcement.
LA County DA Nathan Hochman pursues special circumstance murder charges eligible for the death penalty; Garcia-Aquino jailed without bail, pleads not guilty.
Case erodes trust in youth sports, demands better vetting amid immigrant-heavy communities, aligning with Trump’s border security victories.

Timeline of Predatory Crimes

Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, born in El Salvador in 1981, entered the U.S. illegally and posed as a youth soccer coach for Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club in Sylmar. He targeted players starting in September 2022 with eight counts of sodomy and one oral copulation on a minor under 16. By December 2022, he assaulted a 14- or 15-year-old at his Sylmar home. Families trusted him enough to let boys stay overnight, enabling his abuses across LA County locations.

Murder of 13-Year-Old Oscar Hernandez

On March 28, 2025, Garcia-Aquino lured 13-year-old Oscar “Omar” Hernandez to his Lancaster home under the pretense of making soccer jerseys. Prosecutors charge he killed the boy through alcohol poisoning during a lewd act. Hernandez went missing March 30 after a train trip to Lancaster. His body surfaced in early April near McGrath State Beach in Ventura County. LA County Sheriff’s Department linked Garcia-Aquino through investigative techniques, leading to initial murder charges in April 2025.

Escalating Charges and Betrayal of Trust

February 22, 2024, saw another felony assault on a 16-year-old in Palmdale, where the family permitted the boy to live with Garcia-Aquino. On February 10, 2026, prosecutors filed nine new sex abuse counts against one prior victim, consolidating all cases. No prior criminal history appeared, yet he befriended families in immigrant-heavy communities, exploiting his coach authority. The Hernandez family expressed heartbreak over the trusted mentor’s horrific betrayal.

DA Nathan Hochman calls the cases tragic, emphasizing special circumstances for potential death penalty pursuit. Sheriff Robert Luna noted the family connections that masked dangers. Garcia-Aquino, now 44, remains jailed without bail after pleading not guilty. A preliminary hearing looms in late March 2026.

Immigration Failures and Community Fallout

U.S. Department of Homeland Security labeled Garcia-Aquino a “depraved illegal alien” who evaded capture as a gotaway, fueling conservative calls for strict enforcement that President Trump champions in 2026. This case echoes youth sports abuse patterns but stands out for the undocumented status enabling unchecked access to vulnerable teens. Sylmar and Lancaster soccer communities now question coach vetting, with eroded parental trust.

Short-term, consolidated cases head to trial amid LA DA’s backlog cuts from 10,000 to 4,000. Long-term, it spurs demands for background checks in youth leagues and bolsters immigration debates, validating Trump’s border policies protecting American families from such predators.