MARC ESTEPHANO SANCHEZ - 4 yo (2008) - Buckhead (US 20; E of Atlanta) GA

A Fulton County jury late Monday found a
Buckhead man guilty of the beating and torture death of his 4-year-old
son, according to the county district attorney's office.

Marcos Cordero was convicted of felony murder, aggravated assault and
cruelty to children in the death of Marc Estephano Sanchez Mendez after
a week of testimony, the district attorney's office said.

On Jan. 18, 2008, Cordero brought the child’s lifeless, scar-covered
body to Piedmont Hospital where the boy was pronounced dead, the
district attorney office's announcement said.

In the subsequent investigation, detectives discovered traces of
blood throughout the Sheridan Drive basement apartment Cordero shared
with his wife and two other children. In a video statement to police,
Cordero called his child the “devil” and claimed that the boy cut and
beat himself with knives and other objects. The defendant admitted to
occasionally spanking the child and punching him in the stomach.

The child's mother, Sabina Mendez, testified during the trial that
Cordero beat his son with a 2-by-4, a plunger, broom, screwdriver and
shoes. He also repeatedly kicked the child, she testified.

Cordero would punish the child by tying the boys' hands and placing
him in the bathroom for hours, she said, adding that she was beaten by
Cordero and didn't seek help because she was terrified of him, the only
English-speaking person in the home. In exchange for her testimony, she
pleaded guilty to cruelty in the first degree.

The two will be sentenced on April 18 by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Tanya
Miller with assistance from Chief Senior ADA Pete Johnson and DA
investigator Michael Green. Detective J.D. Stephens of the Atlanta
Police Department led the initial investigation.
http://buckhead.patch.com/articles/buckhead-man-found-guilty-of-4-year-old-sons-murder