Police: Dad says he punched 1-month-old son to stop him from crying; charged with attempted murder (Fort Pierce, Florida)

Hold it! Daddy MIKEY MARTINEZ can 'splain everything! He has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) see, and that's why he hit the baby several times in the head. And then dunked the baby's head under cold water. Poor Daddy with his ultra-sensitive nerves just couldn't stand the crying!

The baby has two skull fractures--in addition to pneumonia.

http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=85660

Father accused of abusing son
Posted: 2011 Oct 07 - 02:05

By Jay Meisel

FORT PIERCE - A father told police that he punched his 1-month old son several times to get the infant to stop crying, according to an arrest affidavit.

The father, Mikey Martinez, 20, 345 E. Weatherbee Road, Lot 96, Fort Pierce, was arrested Sept. 28 by the Fort Pierce Police Department and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

Information on the condition of the infant, who was sent to St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in West Palm Beach, was not available.

An initial examination at St. Lucie Medical Center showed the child had several bruises on the side of his head, two skull fractures and bleeding on the brain, besides suffering from pneumonia, the arrest affidavit said.

Police arrested the father after the mother told authorities that he had "hit the infant several times in the head," the report said. "The mother also explained that the defendant held the infant's head underneath cold running water in an attempt to get the child to stop crying," the report said.

When arrested, Mr. Martinez, "immediately began to cry and stated, 'I didn't mean to, I have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and it's my first baby," the arrest affidavit stated.

During a subsequent interview, Mr. Martinez admitted that he struck "the infant with a closed fist on three occasions ... ," the report said.

The father told authorities that he made several attempts to comfort the child, who would still not stop crying, the report said.

"After hours of the crying, the defendant stated that he removed the infant from his crib, took him into the living room and placed his son on his chest," the report said. "When this did not stop the infant from crying, the defendant explained that he hit the child with a closed fist on the top of the head. The defendant then went on to show me how he clinched his fist and used it like a hammer to make a downward strike on the top of his infant's head."

The father told police that he knew he was hitting child hard enough to kill him, during the first hit and subsequent ones over a period of several hours, the report said.

It was only after striking the child the third time that the father decided to seek medical care for the infant, the arrest affidavit said.