Phoenix: Manuel Antonio Gonzalez arrested for the murder of his nephew Xavier Becerra Martinez
Phoenix police didn’t buy the story that a 21-month-old toddler drowned while playing with a hose and arrested his uncle, who was watching the boy at the time of the tragedy.
Manuel Antonio Gonzalez mug shot/Phoenix Police Dept.
According to a KTAR report, 24-year-old Manuel Antonio Gonzalez, the uncle of the deceased, 21-month-old Xavier Becerra Martinez was arrested on charges of child abuse and 1st degree murder this weekend.
Phoenix ABC affiliate, abc15.com reports, fire crews responded to a drowning call at a home near 71st Avenue and Lower Buckeye when they found 21-month-old Xavier Becerra Martinez hurt, but his injuries did not appear consistent with a drowning.
Fire crews called Phoenix police to the scene and then transported the toddler and his uncle, Manuel Antonio Gonzalez, who had been watching the boy, to the hospital where the toddler later died.
Gonzalez allegedly told authorities his nephew was playing with a hose and drowned in a puddle of water, but cops say Xavier was the victim of child abuse.
Police say the investigation of the case is still ongoing.
