A relative has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after a Hawthorne mother and her teen son were found critically injured Oct. 29.
Juan Aguilar-Alvarez, 38, was formally charged Wednesday, Nov. 4, after investigators presented the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). NBC Southern California reported the charges.
The 58-year-old woman and her 17-year-old son were found unconscious with blunt-force trauma inside an apartment in the 4000 block of 139th Street, near Prairie Avenue, shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, according to the Sheriff's Department. Both were taken to a hospital in critical condition.
As of Nov. 4, both victims remained hospitalized in critical condition, sheriff's officials confirmed.
The woman's husband discovered his wife and son when he returned home, according to neighbors who spoke with KTLA. Neighbor Erika Gonzalez, who called 911, described the scene to the television station.
"I can only imagine getting home from work and opening your door and just seeing your son and your wife laying there," Gonzalez told KTLA. "I don't want to give details, but it was not something I would ever want anyone to experience."
In an initial news release, sheriff's officials said an emergency room doctor had pronounced the woman "death imminent," indicating she was not expected to survive, KTLA reported. She and her son both remain alive.
Aguilar-Alvarez was initially identified as a person of interest and arrested on an unrelated charge the night of the attack, according to sheriff's officials. Investigators then presented their findings to prosecutors, who filed the attempted murder charges.
NBC Los Angeles reported that sheriff’s officials identified the suspect as the woman’s brother. Earlier reports had described him only as a relative of both victims.
Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive. Information about Aguilar-Alvarez's next court appearance was not immediately available, Patch reported.
LASD Homicide Bureau detectives are assisting the Hawthorne Police Department with the ongoing investigation. Sheriff's officials said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.
Anyone with information can contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or at lacrimestoppers.org.
