Phoenix, AZ: PD: Phoenix boy's death no accident

PHOENIX (CBS5) -
A Phoenix man faces first-degree murder and child abuse charges in connection with last September's death of his 2-year-old son Saul Sanchez, Phoenix police said.

Luis Sanchez, 30, was arrested Friday after detectives received new information and re-interviewed him about Saul Sanchez's death.

On Sept. 28, police and fire department personnel received a call about a child not breathing at 4622 E. Pueblo. When they got there, Luis Sanchez said his son had fallen down the stairs. The 2-year-old was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The autopsy did not show any signs of an injury consistent with a fall down the stairs that would have resulted in his death, said Sgt. Tommy Thompson of the Phoenix Police Department.

The homicide detective assigned to this case began to dig deeper and found that Sanchez had a history of domestic violence in California and had violated his probation by moving with his family to Arizona, Thompson said.

The detective also found that Sanchez had sent an urgent email message to his wife at work, telling her to call him, Thompson said. She did not receive the message for about 45 minutes, according to Thompson.

When the detective re-interviewed Sanchez last week, he initially told the original story, but changed it several times, Thompson said.

Sanchez admitted that he had struck his son in the back several times and then blacked out, Thompson said. When Sanchez came to, he said his son was not breathing, Thompson said.

Sanchez was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail.