SAN ANTONIO – A 21-year-old man was being held Tuesday afternoon in the Bexar County Jail on $500,000 bail in connection with the death of his girlfriend's 4-year-old son.
Ricardo Hernandez was arrested Monday night on a charge of capital murder.
As Hernandez was being escorted to jail by police, he told a reporter from a Spanish-language station that he's "inocente," or innocent.
San Antonio police believe Hernandez killed Jordan Altamirano while caring for him and three other children Saturday night.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Hernandez called 911 after finding the boy unresponsive at their home, in the 1700 block of South Hamilton. The affidavit said that Hernandez initially told investigators a story that they didn't believe matched the evidence.
"The initial information that we were given is that the young boy was complaining of a runny nose. He went up to bed," San Antonio police spokesman Officer Douglas Greene said. "It was found that the child had suffered from a broken back and a severed aorta."
The affidavit said that upon further questioning, Hernandez told investigators he was upset because Jordan was crying and demanding attention while he was trying to feed an infant. Hernandez told police that he pushed the boy forcefully, causing him to hit his back on a sofa. The child fell down crying, but then got up, walked upstairs and went to bed, the affidavit said.
Jordan was taken to Children's Hospital of San Antonio, where he died, police said.