Suspect in infant death charged with murder

Prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges against a Fort Collins man accused of fatally striking an 11-month-old girl with a chair after he became "frustrated" with the child.

The Larimer County District Attorney's Office on Monday formally charged 24-year-old Juan Canales-Hernandez with first-degree murder of a victim under 12 years old, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to life in prison. He is also charged with child abuse causing death and attempting to influence a public servant — Class 2 and Class 4 felonies, respectively — and being a habitual child abuser, court records show.

Police say Canales-Hernandez confessed Thursday to striking his girlfriend's infant daughter with a chair after he got "frustrated" earlier in the week. Eleven-month-old RaeLynn Martinez died Friday evening at a Denver-area hospital.

Court records show the suspect — who is not the child's father — admitted to the attack in an interview with investigators only after he and the child's mother concocted a story alleging that the girl was injured by accident. He said he told the girl's mother that they needed her to lie so he would not go back to prison, according to an arrest affidavit.

Canales-Hernandez was on parole at the time of Wednesday's alleged attack for beating and biting a child in 2013. That attack, to which he pleaded guilty to Class 4 felony child abuse, left a minor who was unrelated to Canales-Hernandez suffering a broken arm, a torn pancreas, hundreds of bruises and several bite marks, court records show.

State records detailing the conditions of his parole — including whether he was barred from being in contact or responsible for minors — have not yet been released. Documents from his 2013 plea deal include restrictions on what contact he could have with the victim in that case and stipulate that he remain law-abiding, but there was nothing barring Canales-Hernandez from interacting with other children.

Fort Collins police on Tuesday said investigators continue to gather information and determine what charges, if any, are appropriate for the girl's 22-year-old mother, Alexa Coria. She said the girl went "dangly" in her arms, and she spent 30 to 45 minutes trying to keep her awake by placing her body in the water of the upstairs shower before ultimately having Canales-Hernandez drive them to the emergency room.

Canales-Hernandez is due in court Friday morning for his first appearance and remains in custody at the Larimer County Detention Center without bond.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers courts for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.