Phoenix man charged with murdering girlfriend’s 1-year-old son

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — A Phoenix man is facing a murder charge in the death of his girlfriend’s one-year-old son. This week, a Maricopa County grand jury indicted 23-year-old Diego Miguel Garcia with one count of first-degree murder and one count of child abuse.

On Feb. 1, police and paramedics were called to an apartment near Central Avenue and Baseline Road for the report of an injured child. Police said the young boy had injuries to his head, back, and abdomen as well as a brain bleed. He died at an area hospital the next morning.

According to police, the boy’s mother had left him in the care of her live-in boyfriend, Garcia, that night so she could go to work. Per court documents, Garcia called the woman around 9 p.m. and said the child had hit his head while playing with another child and was bleeding from the lip. When she got home later that night, she couldn’t get the boy to wake up and called 911.

Garcia reportedly told investigators several stories about what happened that night, including that the child ran into the edge of a door and hit his head on a wall. Documents also say he told them that the boy fell off the couch and fell out of a crib, hitting his head. He was later arrested.

“Children are some of the most vulnerable in our community and when a child dies at the hands of an adult, this office will seek justice for the tragic loss of life,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

Police say Garcia and the boy’s mother had only been together for about a month.