Anthony Avalos’ ‘evil’ mother, boyfriend found guilty of torturing, killing 10-year-old

Anthony Avalos’ mother and her boyfriend were found guilty Tuesday of torturing and killing the 10-year-old California boy.

Heather Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, were convicted of first-degree murder, as well as torture and child abuse of two other children in their home. The twisted couple waived the right to a jury trial.

The death occurred in Lancaster, Calif., in June 2018, after Barron phoned 911 to report her son was unconscious.

Little Anthony was then taken to a hospital where doctors observed him to be “severely malnourished and dehydrated” before he died the following morning.

Prosecutors said the 10-year-old had been beaten, starved and tortured — covered in bruises, abrasions and cigarette burns on his stomach.

A depiction of severe torture was painted in court.

The mother and her boyfriend poured hot sauce on Anthony’s face, forced him to kneel on un-cooked rice, whipped him with a belt and cords and repeatedly held him upside down and dropped him on his head.

Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami described the guilty couple as “evil” and as “monsters,” ABC News reported.

Barron’s attorneys claimed her client was a victim of a cycle of abuse that began with her suffering at the hands of her step-father.

Leiva’s lawyers claimed there was “reasonable doubt” in his intent to kill, and alleged many of the ideas of abuse and punishment came from Barron before being carried out by Leiva.

Barron and Leiva could be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. They are currently held without bail.

In October, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a settlement for $32 million for the boy’s relatives, who tried notifying the county’s Department of Children and Family Services. An investigation showed that the department received at least 16 reports of the abuse inflicted upon Anthony at home.