Fresno father forgiven for killing infant daughter

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Fresno father who killed his two-month-old daughter is headed to prison. But on his way, he found forgiveness.

Baby Perla would've turned five this year, but long before she could even celebrate one birthday, she died of blunt force trauma. Her father has accepted blame and Wednesday, his former girlfriend showed him mercy while also letting him see how much it hurts. The sound of grief couldn't be controlled after a young mother let her infant daughter's killer know the impact of his crime.

Doctors at Valley Children's couldn't save baby Perla when she arrived there in November 2010 with injuries so bad, she had to go on life support right away. Within days, the 2-month-old was dead and Fresno County sheriff's detectives arrested her father, Jorge Hernandez. Four years later, he came to court in a red jail jumpsuit and handcuffs. We're not allowed to show his face in court, but he admitted to voluntary manslaughter to avoid a murder trial. Perla's mother says her loss is tremendous, but she understands she's not the only one suffering.

"I believe this is a loss for everybody," she said. "Not just us, as victims, but his family and himself. This is a loss-loss case, not a win-win."

Hernandez gave detectives three different stories about how the little girl got hurt, including one where he said he threw her against a wall. But his attorney says he was a special ed student with a low IQ who was pressured into a confession. And an expert said Perla may have had internal injuries before whatever happened with her dad. For her mom, this is a day to move past trying to figure it out.

"We just would like them to know and yourself to know that we have forgiven him in every way," she said.

Hernandez has been in jail for more than four years and he'll serve 11 more in prison for a total sentence of about 15 years.