A child killer who strangled a two year-old girl to death has been granted parole two years early after officials declared he had conquered his triggers.
David Leonardo, was found guilty of murdering Priscilla Rose Hernandez in Castroville, California, in December 2011.
At the time of the horrific crime, Monterey County deputies and firefighters said they saw Leonardo - the victims mothers boyfriend - holding a heavily bruised and unconscious Hernandez.
Officials noted that while she had an open airway, the child looked pale and was lying motionless. Her extremities were also cool to the touch.
David Leonardo, was found guilty of murdering Priscilla Rose Hernandez in Castroville in December 2011
An autopsy report later revealed Hernandez had suffered blunt force trauma to her abdomen that caused tears in the lining of her abdomen and in her colon - causing internal bleeding. She died within minutes.
Facial injuries indicated that she had been smothered at some point during the 24 hours prior to her death.
The child was also found covered in bruises across her chest, abdomen, head, legs and arms.
Ultimately, Leonardo told officials during an interview that he had become angry and hit Hernandez in the stomach.
An autopsy report later revealed that Hernandez had suffered blunt force trauma to her abdomen that caused tears in the lining of her abdomen and in her colon
He claimed the toddler was throwing a tantrum about her mother leaving so he put her in a time out.
But when she urinated and defecated in her pants in defiance, he ragefully struck her in the stomach.
In February 2014, Judge Larry E. Hayes sentenced the murderer to 15 years of prison.
The brutal child killer was initially granted parole in October 2022 but the decision was overturned by California Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2023.
Ultimately, Leonardo told officials during an interview that he got mad and hit Hernandez in the stomach
Facial injuries indicated that she had been smothered sometime within twenty-four hours prior to her death
But on April 23, the California Board of Parole Hearings once again granted Leonardo parole, despite protests by the toddlers parents and grandmothers.
A Board of Parole panel had asserted that their grant was based on the work the inmate had done during incarceration to transform and rehabilitate himself, the DAs office said.
According to KSBW, the board said that he had sufficiently mitigated his risk for family violence, deepened his insight into his triggers and developed coping skills to maintain healthy relationships.
Based on the new order, he will likely be released after spending less than 13 years in jail.