Claim dad tried to murder infant son

Baby suffers irreversible brain damage

By Tim Hadac

A 26-year-old Back of the Yards man was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery after he was arrested at his home in the 4800 block of South Throop, by the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, on Thursday Dec. 16.

Carlos Martinez, 26 allegedly hit and shook his 4-month-old son at about midday Tuesday, Nov. 23—two days before Thanksgiving—at his home, a CPD spokesman told the Greater Southwest News-Herald.

At a court hearing last week, prosecutors reportedly said Martinez was frustrated and upset that the baby would not stop crying and would not go to sleep. They said the child began to foam at the mouth and vomit, but Martinez reportedly did not seek medical aid for two days.

At a hospital, a doctor reportedly said the infant suffered trauma similar to what a person would endure in a 40 mph vehicle crash.

As a result of the irreversible brain damage caused, the boy will never talk or walk and will need a feeding tube and continuous care for the rest of his life, according to published reports.

At the time the infant suffered the injuries, Martinez was the only adult in the house. His wife was away at her job at a residential care facility, where she stays six days at a time. Martinez was with the baby, as well as two other children.

Martinez initially told police he could not recall hitting the infant, according to published reports, but one of the other children—age 6—allegedly claimed to have seen Martinez shake and hit the baby.

According to published reports, prosecutors said the baby’s mother did not find out her infant was in the hospital until someone from her 6-year-old daughter’s school phoned to ask why the girl wasn’t in class.

Bond was denied by Judge Charles Beach, and Martinez is in custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections. His next court date is Monday, Dec. 27.