BAKERSFIELD, CA (KUZZ) — A mistrial has been declared after a Kern County jury failed to reach a verdict in a high-profile hot-car death case. Maya Hernandez of Visalia, 20, was convicted Thursday on two counts of child endangerment, but the jury remained deadlocked on a second-degree murder charge and a count of involuntary manslaughter. Hernandez’s son Amilio Guiterrez, 1, died June 29, 2025, when he and his brother Mateo, 2, were left alone inside a hot car while Hernandez underwent a cosmetic procedure in southwest Bakersfield. Mateo survived. Prosecutors will decide by January 12, 2026, whether to retry the case.
Photo courtesy of KBAK
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