BENTONVILLE -- A Springdale man admitted he had used cocaine before slapping a 3-month-old baby which caused skull fractures and led to the boy's death.
Edward Alexis Martinez-Torres, 22, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. He was originally charged with capital murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge under a plea agreement his attorney Drew Ledbetter reached with Carrie Dobbs, deputy prosecutor.
Bethel Heights police and medical personnel went to 2923 Kings Drive on June 9, 2016, for an emergency call of 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 the baby suffered a skull fracture and an autopsy found the skull fracture was caused by non-impact compressive force, according to court documents.
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 was dating the infant's mother, Kanchana Montero, according to court documents.
Martinez-Torres said he couldn't get the baby to stop crying. He 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 the infant's head down into the mattress, according to court documents.
"You slapped a baby hard enough to cause skull fractures?" Circuit Judge Robin Green asked Martinez-Torres, who admitted to striking the infant and using cocaine.
Dobbs told the judge that law enforcement and the boy's mother were in agreement with the negotiated plea.
"No terms of years will bring her child back, but she's hopefully it will bring closure and allow her to move forward with her life," Dobbs said of the victim's mother.
The judge said she was reluctantly accepting the plea agreement which she described as lenient.
Green sentenced Martinez-Torres to 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He must serve 17 years before he is eligible for parole and must abide by a suspended sentence agreement for 15 years after his release from prison.
Martinez-Torres received 554 days of jail credit for the time he spent in the Benton County Jail awaiting his trial. He must pay $1,420 in court-associated costs.
Martinez-Torres apologized to Montero who was present in court. He also thanked family members and told them that he loved them. He also thanked Ledbetter for his work on the case.
"Finally, I want to say that when I get out of prison I will be a better member of society and never step in court again," Martinez-Torres told the judge.
Martinez-Torres will be held in the Benton County Jail until he is transported to prison to serve his sentence.
NW News on 12/22/2017