BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — When conducting the autopsy on one-year-old Amillio Gutierrez, Dr. Paul Gliniecki was on the fence of whether or not to rule this case an accident or a homicide.
Dr. Gliniecki was called to testify on the third day of the Maya Hernandez trial. Hernandez is accused of leaving her one- and two-year-old sons in a 2022 Toyota Corolla on June 29, resulting in the death of Amillio. Dr. Gliniecki was tasked with performing the autopsy and determining the cause and manner of death.
“Once you get to 104, basically like a very hot fever, your body begins shutting down, tissue liquifies,” Gliniecki testified. “Everything just breaks down once you get to that temperature of 104.”
Ultimately, Gliniecki ruled the cause of death as hyperthermia — heat stroke — and the manner of death as an accident. When questioned about the manner of death, Gliniecki said he went back and forth on the ruling and felt “torn.” He said he couldn’t recall if he’d seen reports that included a statement from Hernandez, but he could not find intent during his examination.
During cross-examination, the defense asked Gliniecki if he found any other injuries, scarring, or abrasions on Amillio, other than those that occurred during life-saving measures. Glineicki said no.
“It was a mistake,” Glineicki ultimately decided.
While the autopsy ruled the manner of death an accident, the prosecution is attempting to prove implied malice, distinguishing the second-degree murder charge from the manslaughter charge.
“This isn't a case of a forgotten child whose mom was in a hurry,” Prosecutor Stephanie Taconi said during opening statements Monday. “These were intentional actions done willfully by the defendant.”
Taconi called to the stand several detectives on Wednesday who testified about evidence from the car to surveillance video showing Hernandez inside the waiting area.
According to photos of the car taken by investigators, a stroller was found inside the trunk of the 2022 Toyota Corolla. Detective Nathan Poteete testified that the stroller seemed to be in working condition to the best of his knowledge.
Surveillance video from inside the waiting area showed Hernandez sat for over 40 minutes, talking with other patrons, some of whom had children with them. From the video, it did not appear as though Hernandez made attempts to go check on her children or look outside.
Previous witnesses testified in the trial that Hernandez was leisurely talking with others, scrolling on her Apple Watch, and mentioned having two children, but not that they were in the car at that time.
Closing arguments are expected to begin as early as Tuesday morning.
Court is in recess until 1:30 p.m. This article will be updated throughout the day.
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