Update: https://www.turnto23.com/news/in-your-neighborhood/bakersfield/witness-attorney-speak-out-following-hearing-on-hot-car-death-case

The approach the defense attorney seems to be taking is interesting. Seems to be leaning heavily on a "she's just a kid, doesn't have an adult brain yet" assertion.

Ian Bleu, who was inside the spa with his dog and a friend at the time of the incident, said Hernandez mentioned having children but never disclosed they were in the vehicle outside. Bleu described a calm atmosphere inside the business until an employee discovered one of the children in distress.

“The kid, it was like, sweating — red, purple — like, it was real bad,” Bleu said. “And then Maya walked in with the other kid and he was just, like, limp.”

Bleu told police and emergency responders that he had walked his dog near Maya’s vehicle and saw no signs that the air conditioning was running or that the windows were down, contradicting statements Hernandez reportedly made to authorities.

He also said she appeared emotionally detached as emergency crews attempted to revive the children. “She didn’t even look like she cared,” Bleu said. “We were about to cry, and the cops thought we were the parents.”

Hernandez’s defense attorney Teryl D. Wakeman urged the public not to rush to judgment, emphasizing that her client is only 20 and that the legal process is still in its early stages.

“She’s barely 20. And a charge is not a fact — it’s a charge,” the attorney said. “You would want someone to look into all the aspects of the case — medical, mental health, background — before deciding.”

Wakeman also suggested the case reflects a broader issue with how young adults are treated in the justice system, arguing that brain development continues into a person's mid-20s.