Jake Haro faced repeated probation violation hearings before murder case
Garrett Hottle
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) According to new court documents obtained by News Channel 3, Jake Haro was caught with a handgun and ammunition in June 2024 while already on felony probation for a prior child cruelty conviction. He pled not guilty that August.
That gun case was serious enough that Haro was already facing the possibility of prison time before prosecutors later charged him and Rebecca Haro with murder in the death of their 7-month-old son, Emmanuel.
But instead of moving forward, the case was delayed four separate times, each at the request of Haro’s defense attorney:
First from October 2024 to December.
Then to April 2025.
Then again to July 2025.
And finally to September 2, 2025.
That hearing has since been vacated and consolidated with the Haros’ murder arraignment set for September 4, meaning multiple cases will now be handled in a single courtroom session.
The takeaway: Haro was already staring at potential prison time before the murder charges but defense continuances kept that case unresolved.
Last week, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin blasted the criminal justice system for what he called a preventable tragedy. Hestrin said Emmanuel’s death could have been avoided if Haro had been sent to prison for his prior child abuse conviction in 2023, instead of receiving probation.
“My prosecutor in the courtroom objected to that and said on the record we object, we think it’s a prison case and you should send him to prison,” Hestrin said. “And the judge decided… that Mr. Haro deserved an extra break and gave him probation and basically 180 days of work release which ends up being like community service.”
Hestrin called that decision “an outrageous error in judgment,” adding: “Mr. Haro should have been in prison at the time that this crime happened. If that judge had done his job as he should have done, Emmanuel would be alive today. And that’s a shame and it’s an outrage.”
KESQ is still pressing for additional records, including the arrest warrant and bail declaration, to learn more about how Haro was caught with the firearm.