The 25-year-old Trenton man arrested and charged this week for the murder of his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter now faces additional charges, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri reported.
Officials say, Maison Andres Torres, 25, of Trenton, was arrested and charged on August 21 with first-degree murder and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
According to officials he is being held in the Mercer County Correction Center pending a detention hearing scheduled for August 27.
Officials say at approximately 4:20 p.m. on August 21, 2019, Trenton police responded to a home in the 1500 block of Chestnut Avenue on a report of an unresponsive 28-month-old girl who fell down the stairs.
The victim, identified as Lia Victoria Merino-Rodriguez, was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Preliminary investigation by the Mercer County Homicide Task Force and the Trenton Police Department indicated Torres caused Lia’s death by burning her with scalding water, striking her with his fists and suffocating her with his hands.
An autopsy was conducted on August 22 and based on the findings, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office filed additional complaints today charging Torres with two counts of first- degree aggravated sexual assault, one count of second-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the victim’s cause of death was homicidal violence.
Despite having been charged, all persons are presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.