Man charged with capital murder in shaken baby case
A former Franklin County resident was arrested on capital murder charges Wednesday after authorities alleged he was responsible for the death of his three-month-old son in July 2011.
Pablo Diego Larios, 23, 201 8th Ave. SW, Decatur, was arrested and charged with capital murder on Wednesday afternoon, Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said.
Oliver said the capital murder charge was warranted since the victim was under 14 years old.
According to Oliver, the alleged incident took place on July 2, 2011, but because of a backlog of cases due to budget cuts and lack of funding, forensic autopsy results have not been available until the sheriff’s office received the official report from the Department of Forensic Sciences on Tuesday listing the cause of death as homicide.
Oliver said once the report had been received, the case was able to move forward.
Oliver said on the day of the incident, the sheriff’s office received a call that a baby located at a residence in the Town and County Trailer Park was not breathing.
Oliver said when officers arrived on the scene, the three-month-old child was still not breathing and was transported to Russellville Hospital where he was unable to be revived and pronounced dead.
Oliver said investigators returned to the residence at the trailer park where they interviewed Larios, who was the child’s father.
Oliver said the mother of the child was not home and he was the only parent at the residence at the time.
“At the time of that interview, the suspect admitted to tossing the child in the air,” Oliver said, “but the forensic results we received on Tuesday listed the cause of death as homicide and stated that the injuries the infant suffered were consistent with shaken baby syndrome and that it appeared to be very violent.”
Oliver said after receiving the autopsy report, investigators obtained a warrant for Larios’ arrest Wednesday morning.
Oliver said investigators received word that the suspect had moved from his residence in Franklin County to a home in Decatur so the FCSO contacted the Decatur Police Department who assisted them on the arrest on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are relieved that an arrest has finally been made in this case after we have been pursuing it for almost two years,” Oliver said.
“It’s disheartening that because of budget cuts and a lack of funding that a case like this took so long to be resolved. It’s hard on the families to have to wait for answers, so we are glad the case can finally move forward.”
Larios is in custody at the Franklin County Jail without bond at this time.
If convicted of capital murder, Larios could face the death penalty.
