Jonathan Hatami
Jonathan “Jon” Amir Hatami (born December 15, 1969) is an American prosecutor, serving as a Deputy District Attorney in the Complex Child Abuse Section in the office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Hatami has prosecuted prominent child abuse cases, including the one depicted the Netflix documentary The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. On March 29, 2023, Hatami announced his 2024 campaign for Los Angeles County District Attorney in Whittier, California. Born in Manhattan and raised in California, Hatami was a victim of child abuse. After graduating from high school in 1989, he served in the United States Army for seven years, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. Hatami graduated cum laude from California State University, Northridge, and earned his Juris Doctor degree with distinction from the University of Nebraska College of Law. After clerking for Judge Richard Sievers of the Nebraska Court of Appeals, Hatami returned to California to practice civil law and joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office under District Attorney Steve Cooley. Early life and education
Jonathan Hatami was born on December 15, 1969 in New York, New York. His father was originally from Iran and emigrated to the United States. His mother was born in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, he suffered child abuse at the hands of his father. Recalling that period of his life Hatami said, “I know what it feels like to be powerless.” Hatami’s father would scream at him, call him names, hit him, yank him by his hair and smash him into walls in their apartment. Hatami’s parents separated and battled for custody of their children. His mother was granted temporary custody. Fearing that Hatami’s father would flee with the children to Iran, Hatami’s mother kidnapped Hatami and his brother and flew to Florida. His mother left her two children in the custody of a stranger who further abused them. After a month in Florida, Hatami’s mother came back and the family moved to California. Hatami’s father searched for the two children, contacting the NYPD, FBI, and other groups that help find missing children. Hatami and his brother were listed as missing children in an edition of Ladies’ Home Journal. In the early 1980’s, someone recognized Hatami and his brother, leading to a reunion with Hatami’s father. Hatami graduated from Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California. Career

Military service 
After graduating from high school in 1989, Hatami enlisted in the United States Army as a private. He was honorably discharged in 1996. Hatami was in the Infantry before transferring to the Military Police Corps, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was largely stationed in South Korea, but also served in Panama, Guantanamo Bay during the 1991 Haitian refugee crisis, and Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. While in the Army, Hatami was able to come to terms with the fact that he was a victim of child abuse. He decided to do something meaningful in his life to help abused and neglected children. Civil attorney 
After completing his military service, Hatami returned to California and enrolled at the College of the Canyons, where he developed an interest in criminal justice. He transferred to California State University Northridge to complete his undergraduate degree. Hatami received a full scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska College of Law, graduating with a J.D. degree in 2002. Following graduation, Hatami clerked for Judge Sievers of the Nebraska Court of Appeals for one year. He moved back to Los Angeles, California to practice law as a civil attorney. When Hatami’s firm opened an office in New York, he practiced there for a year, then returned to California to continue his practice. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney 
In 2006, after three years of practice as a civil attorney, Hatami applied for an opening in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. He began working in East Los Angeles, then El Monte, and then Van Nuys before getting a permanent assignment in the Antelope Valley. After working in the Antelope Valley, Hatami was transferred to the Complex Child Abuse Unit of the Family Violence Division in the District Attorney’s office in Downtown Los Angeles in 2016. Murder of Gabriel Fernandez 

On May 22, 2013, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, covered in injuries, was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital, then flown to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Two days later, he was declared brain dead and taken off life support. Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her live-in boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were arrested and charged with Gabriel’s torture and murder. In September 2017, the trials of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre commenced, with Hatami and Deputy District Attorney Scott Yang leading the prosecution. After four months, Isauro Aguirre was found guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of torture and was sentenced to death. In order to avoid the death penalty, Pearl Fernandez pleaded guilty to all charges and allegations, agreeing to waive all her appellate rights, in exchange for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. In April 2021, Pearl Fernandez applied to be re-sentenced under California Penal Code Section 1170.95. Pearl Fernandez’s petition was denied by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli in June 2021. Murder of Anthony Avalos 

In 2018, two weeks after the sentencing of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre, Hatami received a call from an Antelope Valley Hospital nurse. The nurse told Hatami that what happened to Gabriel happened again to another boy. 10-year-old Anthony Avalos was found dead in the home of his mother, Heather Barron, and her live-in boyfriend, Kareem Leiva. Both Barron and Leiva were arrested and charged in the child’s torture and murder. Reflecting on how receiving the news made him feel, Hatami said, “... it was just very disappointing, deflating, sad...”

Anthony’s trial commenced in January 2023. On March 7, 2023 Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva were found guilty of the torture and murder of Anthony Avalos. Barron and Leiva were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on April 25, 2023. Although originally a death penalty case, Governor Gavin Newsom has implemented a moratorium on capital punishment and District Attorney George Gascón has issued a directive for prosecutors not to seek it. Death Of Noah Cuatro 

In 2019, 4-year-old Noah Cuatro was found dead in his apartment. His parents claimed that he drowned in the pool of his apartment complex. Both Noah’s mother, Ursula Juarez, and father, Jose Cuatro, were arrested and charged in the 4-year old’s torture, sexual assault, and murder. The case is still ongoing. Hatami is leading the prosecution of Juarez and Cuatro. Increased Restitution for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse in California 

As a Deputy District Attorney, Hatami helped change state law to provide increased restitution for victims of child sexual abuse in California. The change in state law was accomplished through Hatami’s successful prosecution and conviction of Renoir Valenti in 2014. California State Senate Bill 756 

In 2014, Renoir Valenti, an Antelope Valley youth soccer coach, was convicted of molesting 15 young boys over a period of 17 years. As a result of Valenti’s conviction in 2014, the 15 victims were awarded restitution by the court. By 2016, some of the victims were unable to receive restitution from the court due to a loophole in state law that prevented many child victims of sexual assault from receiving restitution that would cover mental health services necessary to treat psychological trauma. The need to close this loophole led Hatami, along with the Los Angeles District Attorney and the Crime Victims Action Alliance, to partner with California State Senator Henry Stern to introduce a bill to change the law. California State Senate Bill 756 received support from law enforcement and district attorneys throughout the state of California. The bill also received unanimous approval from members of both the State Assembly and Senate. On July 21, 2017, Senate Bill 756 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown and took effect on January 1, 2018. George Gascón recall attempts 

On November 6, 2020, George Gascón defeated incumbent District Attorney Jackie Lacey. On Gascón’s first day in office, he issued a host of special directives for Deputy District Attorneys in his office. These directives included an end to death penalty cases, abolishing cash bail for misdemeanors, many nonviolent crimes and no longer charging juvenile offenders as adults. In light of public pressure, Gascón would later create exceptions to the juvenile offender rule. Hatami has spoken out against the policies of the District Attorney, who has faced two recall attempts. On December 15, 2021, Hatami was ordered by Gascón to remove allegations and strike priors in the case of Eternity, a little girl who was tortured and murdered by her mother. Hatami refused and was the first Deputy District Attorney that came forward and spoke out against Gascón’s policies. Los Angeles County District Attorney 

On March 29, 2023, Hatami announced his 2024 campaign for Los Angeles County District Attorney in Whittier, California. Hatami is running on a platform of public safety, transparency, accountability, holding wrongdoers accountable and reforming the criminal justice system. Personal life 
Hatami is married to Roxanne, a sheriff’s detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whom Hatami met in an Antelope Valley courtroom when Roxanne was a bailiff. They have two children and attend Lancaster Baptist Church. References 

American prosecutors
1969 births
Living people