Prosecutors said the girls saw Pearlene Valavala abused before being told to lie.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The sisters of a 16-year-old girl watched as she was tortured before her death, then were told to lie to police and paramedics, Los Angeles County prosecutors said after two life sentences.
The witnesses were at the center of the public account of Pearlene Valavala’s death, though prosecutors did not name them or release their ages. Their mother, Oriana Estela Elias, 38, was later convicted of two felony counts of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, along with second-degree murder, torture and child abuse. Vincent Gibbs, 39, Pearlene’s stepfather, was convicted of second-degree murder, torture and child abuse. Both were sentenced April 2 to 22 years to life in prison.
The case began with what prosecutors described as anger over text messages. On Aug. 15, 2021, Elias and Gibbs became upset because Pearlene had sent messages to teenage boys, according to the district attorney’s office. They punished her by making her perform strenuous exercises in the hot sun and then beating her for several hours with a wooden plank and a belt, prosecutors said. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said the sentence reflected “an unthinkable betrayal by parents who are meant to protect their children from harm.”
The sisters’ alleged role as witnesses shaped both the facts and the charges. Prosecutors said they saw the abuse unfold before Pearlene collapsed and died inside a makeshift bathroom in the trailer where the family had been living. The trailer had no running water or electricity, according to officials. Before paramedics arrived, Elias told the sisters to lie and not tell responders what had happened, prosecutors said. The public record does not say whether Gibbs also spoke to the girls after the collapse, and he was not listed as convicted of witness dissuasion.
Elias’ convictions show that jurors accepted the prosecution’s claim that the aftermath mattered as part of the crime story. Witness dissuasion charges often focus on efforts to stop someone from reporting or cooperating, and in this case prosecutors said the witnesses were children in the same household as the victim. The district attorney’s office did not release transcripts from the trial, so the public account does not show how the sisters described the events, whether they testified in person or what protections were used for them during the proceedings.
Gibbs’ verdict included a finding that he used a weapon during the commission of the crime. Prosecutors identified the items used in the beating as a wooden plank and a belt. The jury also found that Gibbs caused great bodily injury. Jurors reached a similar injury finding against Elias. The findings added weight to the torture and child abuse convictions because they tied the defendants to serious physical harm before Pearlene died. Prosecutors did not release a medical examiner’s summary or list the exact injuries presented during trial.
The case moved slowly through the court system compared with the date of Pearlene’s death. She died in August 2021. Elias and Gibbs were arrested and arraigned in April 2025, when they pleaded not guilty, according to court records described publicly. Their trial began in January and continued until March 17, when the jury returned guilty verdicts. Judge Scott Yang imposed sentence about two weeks later at the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse. Prosecutors listed the case as 25AVCF00536.
Hochman said Pearlene “was denied the chance to grow up and become who she was meant to be.” He said no sentence could restore the loss of her life. The prosecution was handled by Deputy District Attorneys Suzanna Friedman and Diane Hong of the Family Violence Division, Antelope Valley Branch. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau investigated. No statement from defense lawyers was included in the public sentencing announcement, and the district attorney’s office did not say whether either defendant plans to appeal.
Several facts remain unknown in the public record. Prosecutors did not explain how emergency responders found Pearlene, what Elias or Gibbs said during the 911 call or when investigators first learned the sisters had allegedly been told to lie. They also did not say where the trailer was located, how long the family had been living there or whether any prior reports had been made about conditions inside it. The available record instead places the sisters at two moments that prosecutors considered crucial: the abuse itself and the alleged command to hide it.
As of April 29, Elias and Gibbs had been sentenced and the trial phase had ended. The next public record in the case would likely come from post-conviction filings or appeals.
Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.