A Colorado man was arrested for allegedly beating his 4-year-old godson to death with a belt after the boy’s mother sent her child to the man for “boot camp” to deal with his behavioral issues.
Alexander Martinez-Armstrong was taken into custody on Saturday, May 16, and was charged with one count of first-degree murder, according to court records viewed by Us Weekly.
Martinez-Armstrong, 24, was arrested after patrol officers responded to an apartment around 10 p.m. on May 16 after they received a report of an unconscious child who was not breathing, according to an Aurora Police Department news release.
Responding officers observed the boy and concluded that he suffered “significant injuries.” The boy was rushed to a local hospital and he was later pronounced dead.
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Medical personnel were “shocked” at how severe the boy’s injuries were and said he was “head to toe” in bruises, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Denver Post.
As investigators looked through the apartment, they found a belt with a broken prong on the kitchen counter. The belt was placed near papers with childlike handwriting, where Martinez-Armstrong was forcing the boy to practice numbers.
The victim’s mother told police she dropped her son off at Martinez-Armstrong’s apartment for a “boot camp” to correct “behavioral issues,” according to the outlet. The mother claimed she wanted to fix her son’s behavior after he repeatedly lied to her, snuck into her purse, wouldn’t listen to her and occasionally ate candy behind her back.
The mother added that Martinez-Armstrong was “like a brother” to her and admitted she gave him “full permission” to discipline the child using methods that she regularly used herself, including belt whippings, spankings, push-ups, planks and wall sits, according to KUSA.
Martinez-Armstrong reportedly told authorities that the victim was staying with him because he was “on punishment for being bad, disruptive and not listening.” He admitted to forcing the boy to do push-ups until he physically collapsed, which likely caused him to experience severe bruising on his face and forearms.
He added that May 16 was the day that the boy was most heavily “disciplined,” admitting that he hit his bare skin with the belt at least 21 times.
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Following the beating, the child eventually fell asleep on a living room couch and was completely unresponsive when Martinez-Armstrong checked on him later. Martinez-Armstrong’s girlfriend immediately called 911 and he attempted to perform CPR until emergency personnel arrived at the apartment.
An investigation into the boy’s death remains ongoing. His cause and manner of death will be announced via an official release from the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office at a later date.
Martinez-Armstrong is currently being held in the Arapahoe County Detention Center without bond. It is not clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
The Aurora Police Department confirmed to Us that they have no additional information to share regarding the case.
