He was captured early the next morning while walking to his auto after seeing a movie.
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Martinez is charged in the October 2 death of 2-year-old Christopher Ripley, the son of his girlfriend.
SAN FRANCISCO A California man arrested on suspicion of murdering five people found dead in a house over the weekend, including one of his children, was charged separately on Thursday in the killing last year of a toddler, prosecutors said.
Police haven’t disclosed the cause of death for the five people killed in Modesto Saturday or discussed possible motives.
The warrant for Martinez’s arrest indicates that day care staff reported the young boy had previously suffered “three suspicious injuries” in and around the time he was being potty trained.
Martin Martinez, 30, of Modesto, is a suspect in the deaths of his 6-month-old daughter; his ex-girlfriend 38-year-old Amanda Crews; his mother 57-year-old Anna Brown Romero; a 6-year-old girl, and a 5-year-old girl who is a distant relative, police Chief Galen Carroll said. Her stepfather, Ron Beidleman of Fallon, Nevada, said the couple broke up after Christopher’s death.
“They were trying to reconcile”, Beidleman said.
Crews was a doctor at Scenic Faculty Medical Group, which is contracted to provide physician services at Stanislaus County clinics, according to county officials.
A pathologist who examined the child’s body told investigators Thursday the boy’s death appeared to be a homicide.
For his safety, Christianson said, Martinez is being held at the county’s Public Safety Center.
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Martinez remains jailed in Modesto and it’s unclear if he has retained a lawyer.
