Jonathan Hatami

Jonathan "Jon" Amir Hatami (born December 15, 1969) is an American prosecutor who is 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 in the 2020 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. On March 7, 2024, Hatami conceded that he had lost the district attorney's race after placing third in the primary election.

Hatami was born in Manhattan and raised in California. During that time, he 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 earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Hatami later 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 City. His father was an immigrant from Iran, while his mother was born in Brooklyn, New York. Hatami's parents later separated and a custody battle ensued, with his mother initially granted temporary custody.

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. He transferred to California State University to complete his undergraduate degree. He began working in East Los Angeles, then El Monte, and then Van Nuys before getting a permanent assignment in the Antelope Valley, Southern California.

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. 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. Both Barron and Leiva were arrested and charged in the child’s torture and murder. Hatami described the case as "very disappointing, deflating, sad". and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Although the case originally qualified for the death penalty, the sentence was precluded by California governor Gavin Newsom's moratorium on capital punishment.

Death of Noah Cuatro

In 2019, four-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 with torturing, sexually assaulting, and murdering Noah. Hatami lead the prosecution of Juarez and Cuatro. The two were convicted and sentenced to 22 to life, and 32 to life, for Juarez and Cuarto respectively.

State law changes

As a Deputy District Attorney, Hatami helped change state law to provide increased restitution for victims of child sexual abuse in California 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.

Hatami, along with the Los Angeles District Attorney and the Crime Victims Action Alliance, partnered with California State Senator Henry Stern to introduce a bill to change the law.

Los Angeles County District Attorney

On March 29, 2023, Hatami announced his 2024 campaign for Los Angeles County District Attorney in Whittier, California.