TRENTON - A 25-year-old Trenton man has been charged with murder after police say he abused and suffocated a 2-year-old girl Wednesday afternoon.
According to investigators, Maison Andres Torres burned the child with scalding water, punched her and suffocated her with his hands.
Police arrived to a residence on the 1500 block of Chestnut Street for reports of an unresponsive 28-month-old child who fell down the stairs. The child was identified as Torres' girlfriend's daughter.
Mercer County detectives alleged that Torres was responsible for the child's death. He was arrested Wednesday night and charged with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors say additional charges were filed Friday, including 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.
Torres is being held at Mercer County Correction Center and is scheduled for a hearing next week.