3-Year-Old Girl Suffered 12-Hour 'Exorcism' Before Being Stranggled To Death

Two people involved in the death of a 3-year-old girl from San Jose, California were charged with felony abuse on Friday as the investigation into the young victim's exorcism-related death continues.

Rene Trigueros Hernandez, a 59-year-old pastor, and 19-year-old Rene Aaron Hernandez-Santos were charged with felony abuse after they participated in the exorcism of 3-year-old Arely Hernandez that ended up killing the toddler, according to the Daily Beast.

Rene Hernandez was one of the people who held the 3-year-old Arely down as he and his other family members attempted to make her vomit by squeezing her abdomen and throat, among other things, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Rene’s daughter and Arely’s mother Claudia Hernandez was already previously arrested for the death of the child in January. She believed at the time of her child’s death that she was possessed by a demon due to her kid's frequent crying at night.

When she brought her to Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, she believed that she could “get the spirit out” by inducing vomiting in the child. Arely ended up passing out multiple times during the exorcism before they called the police to report her death.

Claudia Hernandez was seen in a video later on defending her daughter’s exorcism, and Arely’s father Reno, who is reportedly the pastor of Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, has also attempted to defend the act of exorcism to the public at large.

“If you read the Bible, you’ll see that Jesus casts away demons and made sick people healthy again… It’s not when I want to do it, it’s when God, in his will, wants to heal the person. The preacher is like an instrument of God; what we do is what God says,” he said.

It is unclear if Reno will also be charged for the death of Arely Hernandez.