BENTONVILLE -- Prosecutors haven't yet filed a formal charge against a man accused of killing a 3-month-old baby.
Edward Alexis Martinez-Torres, 21, of Springdale was arrested last month in connection with capital murder involving the death of a 3-month-old boy.
Martinez-Torres appeared in court Monday for his arraignment, but prosecutors hadn't filed a formal charge against him.
Drew Ledbetter, who represents Martinez-Torres, told Circuit Judge Robin Green he had spoken with Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, and expects charges to be filed later this week or early next week.
Ledbetter also asked Green to schedule a new bond hearing for Martinez-Torres, who is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Green reset the arraignment for next Monday. The bond issue also will be handled at that hearing.
Bethel Heights police and medical personnel went to 2923 Kings Drive on June 9 after a 911 call concerning a baby not breathing, according court documents.
The child -- referred to as "J.R." in the redacted probable cause affidavit -- was taken to Northwest Medical Center-Springdale and later transferred to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Children's Hospital doctors determined he suffered a skull fracture, according to the probable cause affidavit. An autopsy by a medical examiner found the skull fracture was caused by nonimpact "compressive-force," according to court documents.
Kanchana Montero, Martinez-Torres' girlfriend, was the baby's mother. She told police after the boy's death Martinez-Torres was good with her children, and he viewed the baby as his son and treated him as a son, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Martinez-Torres, who was baby-sitting, said he was in the kitchen preparing food and the child was in the bedroom crying, according to the affidavit.
Martinez-Torres said he couldn't get the baby to stop crying. Martinez-Torres told police he slapped the baby in the face with an open hand, then grabbed him by the forehead, "palming and squeezing" it while pushing his head down into the mattress, according to the affidavit.
NW News on 07/19/2016