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Show Teens Killed Baby; Couldn’t “Bury the Guilt thing.” never go near it. But then Juan was like, ‘No, don’t tell.’ Mary Ann Muniz, Gabriella’s mother, said the message for parents is watch your children. Gabriella and Juan come from deeply religious families. Gabriella grew up Catholic and Juan was reared in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-cay Saints. If their parents learned of the @ From Previous Page pregnancy, the teens feared, they would be forced to get married. | courtroom wept as the sentences | wereread aloud. Gabriella, charged with child endangermentcausing death, was sentencedto 2 years in the county jail with a 5-year suspended senvttence and 5 years of probation. _ She was ordered to earn her high school diplomawhilein jail. = Judge Richard Wagneralso de‘inanded that she and Juan start a vateen-pregnancy prevention prosgram in Humboldt County — beoe the project while behind pars. “And I don’t want a Band-Aid approach to this problem — like | passing out condoms or just talksang about sexually tr child, and, you know, he could They decided that 16 simply was too young to start a family. “All my friends had kids and stuff, and I knew I wasn’t ready,” Gabriella said. She now realizes she made a huge error. ‘My biggest mistake is that I never told my parents. Trust the people whotell you that they love you. If you can’t tell your parents,tell a teacher, a counselor, a best friend.” Gabriella’s parents havevisited herat the detention center every day since she was arrested in May. “Now we're lot closer,” shesaid. “I know we can talk about any- tough having no support.” Bishop Steve Hall turned out to be the one heleaned on. “Juan came to me because he teach teens about morality. ‘I just don’t want anyone following in my footsteps,” he added. Eduardo Lopez, Juan's father, “I thought we were close enough for her to tell me some- felt bad. He said, ‘What do I have is disappointed that his son will thing like this,” Muniz said. “And if she would have told me she knew that to receive forgiveness, not be going on a Mormon mission, but addsthat the family “has really been blessed” by Juan's to do to get on with mylife?’ He he had to confess.”” wanted an abortion, I would have supported her 100 percent.” Muniz said she should have Hall counseled Juan to get a lawyer. Juan did that, then talked to police. Speaking softly on the interview phone at the detention center, Juan said he was grateful for the bishop’s handling of his bomb- known her daughter was preg- nant. “She did gain weight,” Muniz added. “But she’s always been up shell confession. “After I told and down with her weight, and I thought it was up. She also got moody, but I attributed that to him,he just stayed calm and was really tender aboutit.” And there has been some good her being a teen-ager.” Juan also experienced mood in this horrible story, Juan said. His faith in Godis stronger than ever. swings. He made appointments with his Mormon bishop, hoping he could muster the courage to explain what had happened, then skipped the meetings. “You gotta look to Jesus,” he said. Juan and Gabriella will start a teen-pregnancy hot line while serving their sentences. Juan also “The secret adds to your burden because it’s not just tough hiding it,” Juan said. “It’s also intends to use humorand musicto turnaround. Hall believesthat if Juan works hard enough, he may someday be able to obtain a temple recommend, enabling him to take part in LDS temple rites. “Juan has the potential to re- Als was taking chemotherapy treat- ments for cancer and she had recently remarried. “He watched the baby die, ahd Juanfall apart,” Lizer said. “And then he buried the baby. He had seen his brother have a baby:out of wedlock, and the world didn't end. He didn’t believeit was going to happen. “He probably thought, ‘I’m a big boy,I'll take care of everything.” The notion of loyalty has changed for Aaron pent completely,” Hall said. “But “Keeping the secret doesn't . . he may not have complete make you a good friend,” he said “Get a second opinion.” He clasped his hands together and sat up straight. Staring through the glass that confines peace until the next life. I have never seen anything like this and I hopeI never do again. The pain is almost unbearable.” Aaron’s mother, Denyse Lizer, understandsthe anguish. She believes Aaron kept these- cret from her outof kindness,be- cause he did not want to drag her down with his problem. About the time the baby was killed, Lizer him, Aaron said he now knows that friendship does not carry with it the obligation to idly stand by while a tragedy unfolds. If he could relive that night in 1994, Aaron added, ‘I just wouldn't havelet ‘em doneit.” i diseases,” the judge said. } Juan originally was charged ‘with first-degree murder. But in ~June his charges were reduced to second-degree murder, and in August they were reduced again to child abuse causing death. Juan was sentenced to 4 years in the ¢ountyjail, given a 10-year suspended sentence and 5 years of probation. * Aaron was charged with con‘eealing the baby’s death. He will erve 6 monthsin the countyjail, OOOOLTCE ‘€ndfaces a 1-year suspended sen- ‘tence and a yearon probation. © The Saturday after sentencing ‘was a big day for me.I had flown ‘there from Salt Lake City, and was eager to meet the girl whose life had been put on hold. It was ‘Kind oflike a blind date. I wasn’t ‘sure if we wouldhitit off. = Inside the detention center, I found Gabriella, chin in hand, ‘waiting in one of six cubicles where inmates greet visitors. I waved through the smudgedglass ‘that separated us; she smiled and squinted at the bright florescent ‘lights overhead. . The nervoustalk about school, haircuts and boys lasted only a few minutes. We wanted to talk aboutthe baby. Slouching in heroversized pris- ‘on jumpsuit, Gabriella explained that she hid the pregnancy bydieting, exercising and wearing bag‘gy clothes. “My mom didn’t no- tice; my physical-education teacher didn’t notice. 1 even went ‘to the doctor and he didn’t notice.” Gabriella, like many girls, said ‘she casually made decisions about having sex. Her first encounter came in the eighth grade. Al- though she did not want to get pregnant, she did not take precau- tions. “] didn’t know you could go to those health clinics and get condoms without your parents knowing,” she explained During her ninth-grade year, ‘she became pregnant with Juan's child. She was frightened. Her ‘parents had no idea she was having sex, muchless pregnant. “TI was goingto tell my parents that I didn’t know whothe father was, that I had been sleeping around, But I told Juan thatif 1 did that, he would never see his A HEARING PROBLEM Coup Be A MEDICAL PROBLEM Starts tomorrow at Salt Palace Convention Center in the heart of Salf Lake City! For 13 days only, the Eddie Bauer WarehouseSale will save you money—with rock-bottom prices on top-quality Eddie Bauer merchandise. We're here to liquidate overstocks, discontinued items and returns. SAVE 50% AND MORE on Cail one of the following for an appointment 8:30 a.m, - 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday LDS Hospital Hearing Services 324-3425 8th Avenue and C Street, SLC IHC Hearing and Balance Center 582-4502 4500 S. 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