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Girl killed in San Jose church exorcism, court documents reveal


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A 3-year-old girl was tortured and killed by her family as they performed an exorcism ritual casting out a demon, according to court documents.

Arely died inside a small church at 1094 2nd Street in San Jose after she was strangled by her mother, uncle, and grandfather on Sept. 24, according to Santa Clara County prosecutors.

The girl’s family “believed the child was possessed by a demon and were at the church praying for her,” deputy district attorney Rebekah Wise wrote in court documents.

“The victim’s grandfather was identified as the leader of the Church and claimed he was a certified pastor,” Wise wrote.

Arely’s mother, Claudia Elisa Hernandez, 25, of Mountain View, was charged on February 2 with felony assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury. Hernandez is currently behind bars with no bail.

Information about the harrowing homicide was never made public by the San Jose Police Department nor the District Attorney’s Office. Newly uncovered court documents, however, detail what investigators believe happened to Arely.

Hernandez was interviewed by police officers on Sept. 24 and Sept 25. During the interviews, the mother told police that on Sept. 23 she began to believe that Arely was “possessed” because the 3-year-old girl would periodically wake up in the middle of the night crying or screaming.

On Sept. 24 at 6:30 a.m., Arely’s mother and uncle drove her to the church. The girl’s mother, uncle, and grandfather held Arely down by her neck, torso, and legs for several hours. They attempted to make her vomit by sticking fingers and hands down her throat.

Arely lost consciousness and suffered “multiple injuries around her eyes, face, neck, and chest,” Wise wrote in court documents.

Arely died around 6:30 p.m. after 12 hours of torture, court documents state. Hernandez told police that no one performed medical assistance to help the girl before or after she died.

The family waited until 8:12 p.m. to call 911. When paramedics arrived, they found Arely’s lifeless body on the church’s floor. A coroner determined that her death was a homicide, caused by suffocation and smothering.

Hernandez was the only person arrested in connection to the case.

Prosecutors urged Judge Luis Ramos to deny bail because Hernandez posed a risk to public safety and is considered a flight risk.

“She was born in El Salvador, has minimal ties to the community, and is considered a high flight risk,” Wise wrote.

Prosecutors noted extreme cruelty Hernandez allegedly inflicted on her daughter. “She strangled her multiple times to the point where the victim went unconscious, she stuck her hands down her throat, and continued this course of conduct for almost a full day,” Wise wrote.

Bizarre YouTube video

A video uploaded on YouTube in January, four months after Arely died, appears to show the mother talking about her daughter’s death.

The YouTube video is titled with Arely’s full name, Arely Naomi Proctor Hernandez.

The woman in the video says, “Everyone wants to know what happened to her, you know, her cause of death. A lot of people turned on me after my daughter passed away; a lot of people thought a lot of things because of how that situation looked. If you weren’t there, you don’t know what happened. I know what happened.”

“When she passed away she was with me. Of course, I’m her mom, why would she not be with me?” the woman says.

The self-shot video is 40 minutes long. At times, the woman smiles and laughs as she chews on gum.

“I could sit here and be negative. But there’s no point in me doing that. I cannot change what is. It is what it is,” the woman says.

She continues, “It’s many reasons why God took her. At least she’s not suffering. In this world we suffer so much, especially nowadays. Everything is so bad. Everything is going downhill. That’s what I’m thankful for. That she’s not going to grow up in a world we live in.”

“It’s hard to think that I’m not going to see her grow up.  But you know, it’s OK. It’s OK because I know she’s in a better place. God knows why He allowed these things. My baby was such a happy baby. Being a mom, it’s one of the best things. Of course when I think of her I get sad and I cry and I miss her,” the woman says.

Hernandez was charged by prosecutors six days after the video was uploaded on YouTube.

She faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

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“It’s many reasons why God took her. At least she’s not suffering. In this world we suffer so much, especially nowadays. Everything is so bad. Everything is going downhill. That’s what I’m thankful for. That she’s not going to grow up in a world we live in.

 

e logic to chala cases ayyayi..... kids ni champukovadam.. #$1

they are depressed with whats happening around, and what they experienced.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Pastor Rene Trigueros Hernandez

church-mug1.jpg?w=643 Mug shot of Pastor Rene Trigueros Hernandez

The self-proclaimed pastor was the victim’s grandfather. He was interviewed by police on Sept. 24, Sept. 25, and May 11. Between September and May, he changed his story about how Arely died, court documents state.

According to San Jose Police Department Sgt. JJ Vallejo, the 59-year-old pastor told police in September: “He was called by (the victim’s mother) and she asked him to come to the church. He arrived at 12:30 p.m. He stood over the victim and prayed over her while she cried. (The pastor) remembered victim vomiting and said it occurred about 4:30 p.m. (He) said he moved victim’s body to the south end of the church around 7 p.m. and she was not moving or breathing.”

Vallejo interviewed the pastor again in May, and the story changed to the following: “He described two ‘prayer sessions’ they conducted on the victim. He described holding victim tightly by her torso while (the mother) held her arms and (the uncle) held her feet. He stated victim was fighting back. (The pastor) said the victim had unusual strength and attempted to bite his arms. (The pastor) stated he then walked outside of the room to take a phone call and when he returned, the victim was dead.”

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Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos

church-mug3.jpg?w=606 Mug shot of Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos (SJPD)

Vallejo said the girl’s uncle also “substantially” changed his story about what happened during the exorcism.

Vallejo first interviewed the girl’s uncle, 19-year-old Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos, on Sept. 25, 2021.

Vallejo said the uncle told him the following: “(He) stated that the night of Sept. 23, 2021, he believed the victim was possessed, as she would cry and scream, and he believed she was in pain. At one point during the night, while the victim was standing, he placed his hands on the chest and back of the victim and applied pressure. In the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2021, (Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos) and (the victim’s mother) took the victim to the church located at 1094 South 2nd St. While at Church, the victim was placed on the ground in front of the altar. In the afternoon, (the pastor) arrived. All three continued praying. During prayer, the victim would be picked up and held by each of the three defendants. Around 7 p.m., (Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos) knelt down beside the victim who was lying on the floor, and he placed one hand on the victim’s chest and one hand on her back. He applied pressure to the victim and maintained pressure for 10 minutes. He stated the victim was alive at the beginning of this and he closed his eyes to pray. Upon opening his eyes, he believed the victim had died. They continued to pray and did not perform any lifesaving measure for the victim.”

According to Vallejo, the uncle backtracked on his previous story during later interviews with police.

“In a subsequent interview, (Rene Aaron Hernandez Santos) substantially revised his previous statements. He stated he never placed his hands on the check and back of the victim and applied pressure. He also explained that after they believed the victim had died, he attempted breath to breath (mouth to mouth) with the victim,” court documents state.

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Claudia Hernandez-Santos

church-mug2.jpg?w=599 Mug shot of Claudia Hernandez-Santos (SJPD)

Claudia Hernandez-Santos uploaded YouTube videos of herself talking about her daughter’s death. One video uploaded on Jan. 27 is titled with the girl’s full name, Arely Naomi Proctor Hernandez.

“Everyone wants to know what happened to her, you know, her cause of death. A lot of people turned on me after my daughter passed away,” she said in the video.

The mother never blames herself or the alleged exorcism for her daughter’s death. Instead, she says, “God took her.”

“It’s many reasons why God took her. At least she’s not suffering. In this world we suffer so much, especially nowadays. Everything is so bad. Everything is going downhill. That’s what I’m thankful for. That she’s not going to grow up in a world we live in. She’s in a better place. God knows why He allowed these things,” she said.

The victim’s mother, uncle, and grandfather currently remain behind bars in a Santa Clara County jail without bail.

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the mother told police that on Sept. 23 she began to believe that Arely was “possessed” because the 3-year-old girl would periodically wake up in the middle of the night crying or screaming-

 

emi manushulu raa nayana

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