PORTLAND, Maine — A man accused of killing his infant son pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday morning in Portland.
Eugene “Charlie” Martineau, 24, is charged with murder and manslaughter in the death of 3-month-old Leo Josephs.
Martineau was arraigned at the Cumberland County Superior Court. He is charged with causing the death of his 3-month-old son, Leo James Josephs, in October.
Police say Martineau, the baby and the baby’s 21-year-old mother, who is not being charged, lived together at a home in Standish.
Investigators say the baby was brought to Maine Medical Center with multiple injuries on Oct. 21. He died three days later.
Police then arrested Martineau, charging him with murder. He later was indicted by the Cumberland County grand jury on one count each of murder and manslaughter.
Martineau made his first court appearance in October. The affidavit was sealed until Wednesday after Martineau was arraigned.
Maine State Police Detective Lauren A. Edstrom wrote in it that Martineau told her on Oct. 22 that he became frustrated with the baby when he cried.
“He described his crying as ‘obnoxious,’” the detective wrote. “Martineau stated he would push down on baby Leo’s chest to get the air out to make him him stop crying. He said he did this three to four times because he ‘couldn’t handle it.’”
Martineau also said that two to three weeks before the baby was hospitalized, Martineau held Leo in front of him and shook him to get him to stop crying.
A neighbor told CBS 13 in October she was always concerned with how baby Leo was being cared for by both parents.
Martineau has conditions of no contact with her as well as the surviving sibling. Officials say Leo was a twin born prematurely on July 2. They say his twin sister, who was still hospitalized when her brother died, has been under state care.
BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.