Arizona man kills 6-year-old son by pouring hot water down his throat to exorcise demons
TUCSON, ARIZONA: A father has admitted to killing his 6-year-old son in an attempt to exorcise him of demons in Tucson, according to a federal complaint. Pablo Martinez, 31, poured hot water down his son's throat while bathing him on September 26, according to local news outlet KOLD News 13. The child's adoptive mother Romelia Martinez was also present in the home where the incident took place, it was reported.
Martinez believed that his son was under the influence of demonic possession. The adoptive mother agreed to this and said the child, whose name has not been disclosed, had also shown signs of demonic influence. While bathing him on the night of the murder, the father told investigators that he had seen the demonic entity in the child and he had attempted to exorcise it with the water. He said he held the child under the tap for approximately 10 minutes and had seen the demon leave him.
While the father was exorcising the demon, the woman is said to have heard what sounded like a hollow bubbling sound emanating from the bathroom. She had attempted to get in but the door was locked. When she told him to stop, he had said that it had to be done. She called 911 and while she was on the phone, the father was conducting CPR on the child and putting cold water on him.
When the Pascua Yaqui Police arrived at the home, the parents were outside the home and when probed said, "they wouldn’t understand and they were not in the right mindset or belief." According to the federal complaint, as reported by Tucson.com, the child had been found naked and unresponsive and was seated supported by pillows. He was rushed to the Banner-University Medical Center but was pronounced dead. According to the publication, the child had sustained burns on his forearms, elbows, and head and about 15 percent of his body had burns.
The child was a student at Lynn/Urquides Elementary School in Tucson. The school said in a statement that "counselors are available to help staff and any student who is struggling with death or other issues that may surface." He man has been charged with first-degree murder.