Man charged in death of 3-year-old

Posted at: 09/29/2009 3:55 PM | Updated at: 09/29/2009 5:13 PM
By: Jeff Maher, Eyewitness News 4; Matthew Kappus, KOB.com

Michael Perea is charged with child abuse resulting in death

A 21-year-old man was arraigned in Los Lunas Tuesday charged with killing his stepson.

Police were called out to Michael Perea's home off Highway 47 south of Bosque Farms Monday afternoon where a 3-year-old boy was found dead.

Officers say Perea, who is the husband of the boy's mother, admitted to slamming the child's head into the floor after getting frustrated with him.

Police say when they searched the home, an 8-inch indentation was found in the floor. They believe it is from the boy's head being slammed into the floor by Perea.

Investigators say the mother found her son in a bedroom unconscious and not breathing. They say the boy's grandfather tried to give him CPR before emergency crews arrived.

State police are handling the investigation. The Valencia County district attorney, Lemuel Martinez, says the case is a top priority.

"Children are protected, a special class in our society. And when people hurt them, especially kill them, we're going to devote as many resources as possible to moving the case forward," Martinez said.

Police say the boy's mother and two other kids were home when the incident happened.

Martinez says they plan to prosecute the case to the fullest extent.

"Hopefully we'll get an indictment within the next ten days or more and then move forward with trial," Martinez said.

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