Fort Collins Man Found Guilty of Murder of 11-Month Old
Juan Canales-Hernandez was found guilty of the murder of an 11-month old after less than four hours of deliberation at the Larimer County Justice Center today. All four charges: first-degree murder by a person in a position of trust of a victim under the age of 12, child abuse, knowingly or recklessly causing death, and attempting to influence a public servant came with the guilty verdict. The victim, RaeLynn Martinez, died from her injuries in September 2016.
Canales-Hernandez faces life in prison, but a formal sentencing will happen later.
Last May, the baby's mother, Alexia Coria, plead guilty to lying to police about her child's death and was sentenced to five years of community corrections.
Canales-Hernandez confessed he was playing with the baby and accidentally dropped her. After placing her in her high chair to feed her, RaeLynn would not stop crying. He got frustrated and threw a 17-pound chair at her.
The Coloradoan reports that their month long investigation into the case revealed that Canales-Hernandez was on parole for seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy in 2013. After missing mandated anger management classes, missing drug screenings, and admitting to drug use, his parole was not revoked.