Judge Throws Out Decades Old Murder Conviction of Man Found Guilty in Baby’s Death

A judge on Tuesday threw out the first-degree murder conviction of a man found guilty in the death of his then-girlfriend’s 4-month-old daughter nearly 30 years ago because of new evidence in the case.

Stephen Martinez was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison after prosecutors argued he had beaten Heather Mares in 1998. But recently presented defense evidence that the baby died of pneumonia prompted prosecutors to reexamine the case and conclude that they could not prove Martinez was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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