Nine-month-old Justin Alejandro Tello died at Laredo Medical Center on or around April 18, 2022, after suffering severe physical abuse at the hands of his father, Carlos Alejandro Tello. The child was brought to the hospital with a distended stomach, bruising, rib fractures, and internal injuries including a torn mesentery and jejunum that caused fecal leakage and peritonitis. An autopsy also revealed a displaced femur fracture that had become callused and never properly healed, indicating prior untreated injuries. Investigation revealed a pattern of abuse dating back to at least October 2021, with a family member reporting that Tello punched the infant in the stomach more than 10 times with a closed fist and threw him into a crib. Despite a CPS report being filed in November 2021, the child remained in the home. Tello was initially charged with injury to a child and later upgraded to capital murder; the child's mother, Justina Eliza Martinez, was charged with injury to a child and criminal negligence for failing to protect Justin.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Document 2 (LMT Online) states: "police learned that Tello grabbed Justin by the arm and punched on his stomach 10 times and threw him in the crib." Document 3 (KGNS) corroborates: the woman told police Tello was holding the baby and "he hit him with a closed fist more than 10 times in the part of his belly." Other incidents of throwing the child into the crib are also described.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Multiple documents describe the parents' failure to seek medical attention for the child's injuries. The LMT Online article (Document 2) states Tello "did not seek medical attention for the fall because he claimed Justin 'was fine.'" The autopsy revealed "a displaced fracture femur. The femur had become callused and did not heal correctly," indicating an untreated older fracture. The KGNS article (Document 3) describes that when asked about the thigh injuries, Martinez said the thigh had swollen but was "fine" two days later, with no medical attention sought. The child's numerous injuries went untreated over an extended period.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
The evidence describes a sustained pattern of extreme violence against a 9-month-old infant over a period of months. Document 3 (KGNS) reports the woman told police that Tello "hit him with a closed fist more than 10 times in the part of his belly" and threw the child into the crib. Prior incidents were documented on October 9, October 27, November 4, and November 24 of 2021, with the fatal incident in April 2022. Document 2 (LMT Online) states that the autopsy showed "a displaced fracture femur. The femur had become callused and did not heal correctly" — indicating untreated injuries from earlier abuse. The sibling said Tello hit the child "super bad" and "would get annoyed with the child when he cried." Tello also reportedly "did not want a baby" and would hand Justin off to family members. The pattern of repeatedly punching an infant in the stomach, throwing him into a crib, and leaving broken bones untreated over months constitutes depraved behavior extending beyond typical physical abuse.
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Carlos Alejandro Tello is identified as the child's biological father. Document 2 (LMT Online) states he was charged in "the child abuse case that led to his 9-month-old son's death" and the baby was identified as "Justin Alejandro Tello." Tello was the primary perpetrator of the abuse that caused the child's death, including punching the child in the stomach 10 times and throwing him into the crib.
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Justina Eliza Martinez, identified as the child's mother, was arrested and charged with "injury to a child by criminal negligence and one count of injury to a child with intent bodily injury" (Document 2, LMT Online). Document 3 (KGNS) notes that the sibling said "his mom would question the bruises and his stepdad (Tello) would say an excuse," suggesting the mother was aware of injuries but failed to protect the child. She is considered involved through criminal negligence.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Document 3 (KGNS) explicitly states that on November 24, 2021, police were called to the home regarding injuries to Justin, and "After leaving the home, the officer contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) and the case was assigned to a CPS worker." Earlier incidents were also documented: "on October 9th and October 27th of 2021, the child had bruises on him; on November 4th of 2021, the child had bruises and scratches to his face." Document 2 (LMT Online) also references "a report filed on Nov. 24, 2021" alleging Tello was injuring Justin. These prior reports predated the child's death in April 2022.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 2 (LMT Online) states: "Carlos Alejandro Tello was served with an arrest warrant on Oct. 15 charging him with capital murder of a person younger than 10 years old." He was also initially arrested on April 29, 2022. Document 4 (KGNS) confirms: "Carlos Tello, 41, was arrested on Sunday by the Laredo Police Department's US Marshals Task Force." The mother, Justina Eliza Martinez, was also arrested and charged with "injury to a child by criminal negligence and one count of injury to a child with intent bodily injury."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable systemic details emerge from the documents. First, Document 3 (KGNS) describes that after the November 24, 2021 report of injuries to Justin, "the officer contacted Child Protective Services (CPS) and the case was assigned to a CPS worker," yet the child remained in the home and died approximately five months later in April 2022. Prior incidents of bruising were documented as early as October 9, 2021. Second, Document 2 (LMT Online) notes that after being initially arrested on April 29, 2022 for injury to a child charges, Tello "was released on bond the next day." It was not until October 15, 2023 — over 17 months later — that Tello was served with a capital murder warrant. Third, Document 2 states that Tello threw away the broken crib, which was a potential piece of evidence, though Document 3 later notes "the crib was retrieved by police." These details point to potential failures in CPS response and the criminal justice system's timeliness.
These fields were populated by an AI model and may contain inaccuracies. Review the links and PDFs provided for verification before citing. Contact [email protected] to report any inaccuracies where corrections are needed.