A Nevada man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for throwing his infant daughter to her death from an apartment balcony.
Clarence Martin Jr., 37, was found guilty in October of murder, child abuse and animal cruelty in connection with the October 2020 death of his nearly two-month-old daughter London, KLAS reported.
“I don’t say this lightly — this is the worst case I’ve ever seen,” District Judge Carli Kierny said during sentencing, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It boggles my mind.”
Police said London plummeted more than 22 feet to the pavement below.
She was allegedly thrown from the balcony during an argument with Martin’s fiancée — London’s mother.
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Officers responded to the scene and immediately “located the infant and her mother, who was performing CPR” on London.
London was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
Before leaving the scene, investigators alleged Martin started a fire that damaged the inside of their apartment and left the family’s dog dead.
According to police, he was taken into custody near Harry Reid International Airport. He was wearing a TSA Security shirt and had made his way onto the tarmac.
Martin was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, according to court records, per the Review-Journal.
Martin’s defense attorney told the judge he had “very little memory” of the incident and “thought he was in a movie,” the Review-Journal reported.
“That’s how delusional he was at the time of this crime,” said the attorney, Betsy Allen.
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