Accused child murderer turns 18, is placed in isolation at Monterey County Jail.

A lot has changed for Gonzalo Curiel since his 18th birthday last week.

When Curiel was 17, he was charged in the murder of two children whose bodies were found stuffed in plastic containers in a storage unit, as well as the torture of a 9-year-old girl.

Since his birthday on Feb. 23, Curiel has been moved from Juvenile Hall to Monterey County Jail and placed in an isolation cell. And the pregnancy news about his reputed 39-year-old girlfriend, Tami Huntsman—also a suspect in the child murders and torture case, and the caregiver of the children—has become public. The identity of the unborn child's father remains unclear. 

Curiel’s defense attorney, Jeremy Dzubay, says he has not yet independently confirmed Huntsman’s pregnancy.

But a statutory rape charge against Huntsman, who according to county Department of Social Services documents was allegedly having sexual relations with Curiel, could be filed if it Curiel is determined to be the father, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Steve Somers says.

“We are not spending a lot of resources to find who the father of the unborn child is, our focus is with the children who were murdered and tortured,” Somers says.

Curiel could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Because of this, he was considered an escape risk from Juvenile Hall.

This is one of the reasons why a judge ruled on Monday that he should be booked into county jail, even though state law would have allowed him to stay in juvenile hall until the age of 19.

Monterey County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. John Thornburg says a “combination of his charges, murder and victims' age” were taken into consideration when placing Curiel in isolation. Curiel had previously received death threats from jail inmates in Plumas County, where he was first arrested in December 2015.

Huntsman’s pregnancy has yet to be addressed in court proceedings and it remains unclear if it could play a role in Curiel’s defense. Somers says that if pursued, a statutory rape charge—a misdemeanor, Somers says—would carry a penalty of eight months over Huntsman's life sentence, if convicted.

She faces life in prison for her suspected role in the murder of Shaun and Delylah Tara, ages 7 and 3, respectively, and the torture of their 9-year-old half-sibling. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty against her.

Curiel and Huntsman will be back in court Friday to set a date for their preliminary hearing.