A Tucson man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of a 6-year-old boy from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. That’s according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.
In the plea, 36-year-old Pablo Martinez, Jr. admits to holding the victim under very hot running water, from a bathtub faucet, for five to 10 minutes. The victim eventually died after inhaling water hot enough to burn his throat
and kill him. That happened September 29, 2019. The man had told FBI investigators the boy had “a demon inside of him.”
Martinez, Jr. faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, a fine of $250,000, and 5 years of supervised released.
A federal judge will sentence him on July 5, 2024.
ORIGINAL STORY: Tucson man charged with murder; accused of pouring hot water down 6-year-old’s throat