Wanted San Antonio man took videos of himself assaulting 2-year-old girl, police say

Affidavit: In video, the girl is slapped with so much force that a ‘loud crack is heard’

Cristian Avila Martinez was wanted on two counts of injury to a child, San Antonio police said. Image: Bexar County Jail (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – A suspect in a child injury case took several videos of himself assaulting a 2-year-old girl on several occasions, according to San Antonio police.

Bexar County Jail records show Cristian Avila Martinez, 20, was arrested Wednesday after being on the run for more than a month.

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On April 14, the child’s mother found videos of the assaults on Martinez’s cell phone, an arrest warrant affidavit stated.

The videos showed him “hitting the victim with full force, and it was beyond excessive,” according to the document.

Investigators said he slapped and punched the girl in the face and head while she was taking a nap.

In one video, he uncovered the girl while she was sleeping, said “nice” as he recorded, and began slapping her, police said. As she began to cry, police said, he covered her nose and mouth with his hand.

In another video, the girl is slapped with so much force that a “loud crack is heard,” the affidavit states.

Seven videos of assaults were saved on his phone, which Martinez had for about a week at the time, the mother told police.

The 2-year-old, her mother and her grandmother were living with Martinez for about five weeks when the videos were discovered.

By April 29, SAPD had asked for the public’s help in locating Martinez. He was charged with two counts of injury to a child.

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About the Author

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.

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