BETHEL HEIGHTS (KFSM) — A man was arrested Thursday (June 16) on suspicion of capital murder in connection to the death of a three-month-old baby, according to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Edward Alexis Martinez-Torres, 21, was being held at the Benton County Jail following an investigation that began June 9 when Bethel Heights police officers responded to a 911 call about a baby not breathing, the release from the sheriff’s office states.
The baby boy was taken to Northwest Medical Center and later transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock where it was discovered the child had suffered a skull fracture, according to the release.
During initial interviews with investigators, Martinez-Torres said he had laid down to take a nap with the child and his hand accidentally fell on the child’s head while he was asleep, the release states.
The child passed away June 15 and an autopsy revealed the baby had suffered a skull fracture caused by non-impact “compressive force,” according to the release.
When investigators confronted Martinez-Torres with the information he said he had been babysitting the child, who was crying and would not stop, when he became frustrated and slapped the baby with an open hand, then grabbed the child by the forehead while pushing him downward into the mattress, the release states.
The baby stopped crying and Martinez-Torres put the child in a bassinet until his mother arrived 20 minutes later and found the baby was not breathing, according to the release.
Martinez-Torres is not the father of the baby.
He is in the Benton County Jail on a $500,000 bond. His next court appearance will be July 18.
