TUCSON, Ariz. – Pablo Martinez Jr., 36, of Tucson, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for the second-degree murder of a six-year-old child. United States District Judge Scott H. Rash delivered the sentence last week after Martinez Jr. pleaded guilty to the charge on April 15, 2024.
The tragic incident occurred on September 26, 2019, when Martinez held the young victim’s face under running bathwater for an estimated five to ten minutes, causing severe water inhalation and liquid thermal burns. The injuries led to the child’s death. The victim was a member of the Pascua Yaqui Indian Tribe.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in collaboration with the Pascua Yaqui Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frances M. Kreamer Hope and Matthew C. Cassell, based in Tucson, led the prosecution.