It was a crime that shocked the Long Beach community, as well as the state at large.
On March 20, 2010, two-year-old Deandre Green died as a result of blunt trauma to his abdomen at the hands of then 26-year-old Hector Ernest Jr. Convicted the following April of that same year, Ernest was sentenced to 31 years in prison on May 5, 2011.
In addition, the mother of Deandre, Camero Green, was sentenced to six years in prison for her role in keeping the child alone with the abusive Ernest. She pleaded guilty and admitted to her felony count of child abuse on March 11, 2011.
Ernest then sought a defense petition on grounds of insufficient evidence from the California Supreme Court. However, the three-justice’s 21-page ruling rejected Ernest’s contention, stating that the now 28-year-old prison inmate “showed a consciousness of guilt by lying to the police” about his relationship with Camero and the child.