Cops: Man Killed Toddler Who Peed on Him

18-month-old beaten to death during diaper change
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 13, 2015 4:52 AM CDT
Cops: Man Killed Toddler Who Peed on Him
This photo of Martin Alvarado, 23, was supplied by Cicero police.   (Cicero Police via Chicago Sun-Times)

A Cicero, Ill., man allegedly murdered an 18-month-old boy in his care just because he couldn't handle the common hazard of diaper-changing, officials say. Police say Martin Alvarado Jr., 23, flew into a rage and beat Edwin Eli O'Reilly, his girlfriend's son, to death after the toddler peed on him while he was changing his diaper, WGN reports. The Cook County medical examiner's office says the boy died of multiple blunt-force injuries and the death has been ruled a homicide by child abuse, reports the Chicago Tribune.

Alvarado was arrested on Thursday after police and paramedics called to the home found the unresponsive child; he was charged with first-degree murder yesterday, the Tribune reports. A spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services tells NBC Chicago that the agency has had previous contact with the family, and one of Edwin's siblings has been taken into protective custody. Alvarado, who confessed to killing the child while being interrogated over the weekend, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, is due in court today. (A Cleveland toddler who fell into a cheetah pit escaped with an injured leg, but his parents may face child endangerment charges for allegedly dangling the child over the zoo exhibit.)

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