DENVER — A man serving life without parole for the 1998 death of an infant blamed on “shaken baby syndrome” is expected to have his conviction and sentence vacated on Tuesday after multiple experts concluded the child died of severe lung disease, 9NEWS Investigates has learned.
Stephen Martinez was convicted of first-degree murder in January 2000 for the death of 4-month-old Heather Mares, who was not his daughter. The conviction carried an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
His conviction came after Oct. 17, 1998, when Martinez called 911 and reported that Heather – his then-girlfriend’s daughter – was choking. According to court documents, officers found bloody sheets in a washing machine, and doctors discovered she had a skull fracture and a brain injury…