Man sentenced for killing child he claimed had a demon inside him

Published: Oct. 20, 2024 at 8:23 PM CDT|Updated: 8 hours ago
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TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) - A man who killed his young son in 2019 was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

A judge handed down the sentence for 36-year-old Pablo Martinez, Jr. after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder earlier this year.

His prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Prosecutors say Martinez murdered a six-year-old boy in September 2019 by holding the victim’s face under the running bathtub faucet for between five to ten minutes.

The water caused liquid thermal burns, resulting in his death.

Pablo initially told investigators his son had a demon inside him.

He admitted to holding the child under the faucet and claimed the hot water was forcing the demon out.

The child suffered burns to 15 percent of his body and was pronounced dead at the hospital.