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A 29-year-old Weslaco man has been sentenced for the murder of his 3-month-old son from injuries officials described as “sufficient enough to have him airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio.”
Diego Rangel Martinez was initially charged with capital murder of a person under 10 years of age, murder and injury to a child.
Martinez pleaded guilty last Wednesday and received a 35-year sentence with nearly 5 years in credit for the murder of his son, Aaron Martinez.
As part of a plea deal, both the capital murder and injury to a child charges were dismissed.
Martinez was arrested on Feb. 22, 2019, after Weslaco police received a death notice from officials in a San Antonio hospital.
Weslaco police stated in a news release at the time that officers responded to Knapp Medical Center at 2:15 p.m. on Feb. 20 in regards to an unresponsive 3-month-old child.
Police officials said that the family was able to “hitch a ride with one of the neighbors” to take the child to the hospital.
They added that the mother was with the boy in the hospital, but weren’t sure if Martinez was there as well.
After what officials described as a “thorough investigation,” police found Martinez to be “responsible for the child’s injuries.”
Martinez was initially issued a $500,000 bond and remained jailed up until his guilty plea.
He was indicted in May 2019 on the three initial charges of which stated that Martinez had “intentionally and knowingly caused the death of … Aaron Martinez … by striking him with an object unknown to the grand jurors…”
He had been scheduled for a court hearing on Tuesday.
