A California courtroom became the scene of yet another disturbing moment this week when an illegal immigrant accused of brutally murdering a young mother, her newborn baby, and the child's grandmother appeared before a judge and reportedly flashed a grin while grieving relatives looked on.

Joaquin Escoto, 28, entered Stanislaus County Superior Court on Monday in handcuffs and ankle restraints, dressed in a jail-issued orange-and-white uniform. Seated beside his attorney and a Spanish interpreter, Escoto appeared unfazed by the gravity of the charges against him. What caught the attention of those in attendance, however, was an apparent smirk during the proceedings—a sight that understandably left family members devastated.

Prosecutors have charged Escoto with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 23-year-old Fabiola Gonzalez-Nunez, her two-week-old son Mateo Gonzalez, and 54-year-old Sylvia Nunez-Villalobos. Authorities allege the killings were carried out in a brutal attack that wiped out three generations of the same family.

In addition to the murder charges, Escoto faces special-circumstance allegations involving multiple victims, a knife enhancement, child abuse resulting in the death of a child under the age of eight, and child endangerment related to the couple’s surviving three-year-old child.

For the victims’ loved ones, the courtroom appearance was a painful reminder of an unimaginable tragedy. And while the legal process now moves forward, many Americans are once again asking serious questions about public safety and the consequences of failed immigration enforcement. Because apparently protecting innocent families should not be a controversial idea.

As the case proceeds through the courts, the victims’ family continues to seek justice for their loved ones, trusting that those responsible will be held fully accountable under the law.