Many parents check their children’s devices to see what they’re viewing online and the kinds of messages they send. It’s a good idea for the parents and the kids to not only keep them safe from predators but also to make sure they’re not sending or receiving things they shouldn’t. Adolescents don’t always think about the long-term consequences of putting something in writing today and how it could affect them later. Sadly, not all parents react rationally and productively to their children’s inevitable missteps.
When Oriana Elias and Vincent Gibbs of California found messages on their daughter’s phone that they didn’t like, they didn’t just punish her; they tortured her until she died. Now, they’ll spend decades in jail for their horrific crimes.
Elias and Gibbs apparently didn’t like what their 13-year-old daughter texted to a boy.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in California shared details of Elias and Gibbs’ abuse in a news release. The mother and stepfather found messages on their daughter Pearlene’s phone that they deemed “inappropriate.” Instead of simply confiscating the device or explaining why they did not like the messages, the parents unleashed their wrath through torture. Pearlene’s siblings watched as the adults systematically abused and killed the 13-year-old on August 15, 2021.
Pearlene endured savage abuse.
Oriana Estela Elias and Vincent Gibbs received life sentences for the torture and second-degree murder of 16-year-old Pearlene V. in 2021. https://t.co/CZZ9p4HKgi
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) April 4, 2026
According to the DA’s office, Elias and Gibbs forced Pearlene to perform exercises in the hot sun. They then beat her with a wooden plank and a belt for several hours, the news release added. Her siblings watched powerlessly in agony as their sister was dying in front of them. Pearlene eventually collapsed inside the family’s trailer, and they called 911 for help. The parents told the victim’s sisters to lie and not tell paramedics what they did to Pearlene.
We have to believe that when emergency personnel responded to the dilapidated trailer with no running water or electricity, it wasn’t hard to determine what had really happened that day.
Elias and Gibbs will spend decades in prison.
They took away an innocent teenager’s life, and in turn, they’ll spend a great deal of the rest of their lives in prison. Elias, 38, and Gibbs, 39, each received a sentence of 22 years to life behind bars.
“This sentence reflects an unthinkable betrayal by parents who are meant to protect their children from harm,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said via the news release. “Pearlene was denied the chance to grow up and become who she was meant to be. There is no punishment that can restore the loss of life. I am grateful to Deputy District Attorneys Suzanna Friedman and Diane Hong for their diligence, compassion, and resolve to ensure that the victim received justice and the defendants were held fully accountable.”
Maybe the couple will get a chance to exercise in the blazing sun for a few hours prior to a savage beating to get a glimpse at what their daughter felt in her last minutes. We realize torture is illegal, but perhaps the judge could make an exception considering their history.
