A D.C. man was convicted by a Montgomery County, Maryland, jury Thursday of abusing and killing his girlfriend’s 16-month-old boy.
Marlon Melendez, 30, faces a potential sentence of life in prison plus 65 years, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The jury convicted Melendez of first-degree child abuse resulting in death, second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse and second-degree child abuse, according to a news release.
The conviction comes after the toddler’s mother called 911 from her apartment in Silver Spring on March 11, 2023, because her 16-month-old boy “was not breathing.” The child was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed signs of child abuse of the toddler, including evidence of a previously broken femur, the state’s attorney’s office said.
According to the Montgomery County Police Department, surveillance video from a restaurant on Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring on March 9 of 2023 showed Melendez “pull the victim’s hair and repeatedly scratch and dig into the victim’s temple” after the boy’s mother briefly left the dining table.
The defendant then “squeezed a lemon in the child’s face and put lemon juice on his finger, then rubbed his finger into the child’s eye,” according to a news release. The boy appeared to “cry and be in distress every time Melendez touched him,” the release said.
“This is an outrageously sad case involving the loss of a one-year-old baby,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. “We express our deepest condolences to the victim’s family. We are thankful to Montgomery County Police for their thorough investigation and to our prosecution team for their pursuit of justice on behalf of this innocent child.”
Melendez is scheduled for sentencing on June 13.
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