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Father Convicted of 2-Year-Old Daughter’s Murder
A federal jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has convicted Mario Contreras, 35, of Waubay, of Second Degree Murder and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in the brutal killing of his 2-year-old daughter.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; 5 years of supervised release; and a $100 special assessment. The murder charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. Contreras was indicted by a federal grand jury for the charges on August 14, 2012.
The victim was born on December 31, 2009, and was murdered by her father on January 9, 2012, just after she turned 2 years old. Contreras had custody of the victim from January 4th through January 9th, the date of death.
According to investigators, Contreras claimed that on January 9th his daughter was having a cup of water and a banana and he left the room. He said that is when she fell off the chair and sustained the injuries that caused her death.
However, the Assistant Medical Examiner of Ramsey County, Minnesota, who performed the autopsy, discovered 18 round bluish-colored contusions on four sides of the victim’s head, indicative of blunt force trauma. He concluded that the multiple contusions and resulting subdural hematoma could not have been caused by a single fall from a chair and that the cause of death was a homicide.
The trial commenced on Tuesday morning, July 30, and concluded Thursday evening, August 1. After approximately two and a half hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of Second Degree Murder and guilty of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
Contreras is set to be sentenced in November 2013. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribal Law Enforcement Services, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas J. Wright and Jay P. Miller.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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