Arizona man accused of killing son in attempted exorcism

Federal authorities in Arizona say a 6-year-old boy is dead after his father forced him to swallow hot water from a bathtub faucet as part of an attempted exorcism.

Court documents say Pablo Martinez faces a first-degree murder charge.

A criminal complaint says authorities went to a home Sept. 26 on the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s reservation southwest of Tucson and found the boy naked on a bed.

Authorities say Martinez admitted holding him underwater for up to 10 minutes.

The documents say Martinez told investigators he saw something evil inside his son and wanted to cast it out.

The boy was pronounced dead with burns over 15 percent of his body.

Michael Areinoff is Martinez’ attorney and said Tuesday that he had no immediate comment.

Associated Press