Henderson man admitted shaking infant who died, police report says

A Henderson man arrested in connection with the death of his 6-month-old daughter admitted to shaking the infant, a police report shows.

The report states that Anthony Martzen at first denied shaking the child, who was found unresponsive on Oct. 23 on the 200 block of East Merlayne Drive in Henderson. The girl, identified as Aaliyah Chavez-Martzen, died two days later.

Martzen, 21, originally told police that he laid his daughter down in a bouncy bed about 20 minutes after feeding her on Oct. 23, according to the report. When he heard the child making a strange sound, he reached down to find that she was not breathing.

But a CT scan later revealed that the infant had a small brain bleed that was caused by being shaken. A doctor at the University Medical Center emergency room also informed police that the child had fluid in the brain, which indicated previous brain bleeds.

When Martzen completed a polygraph exam in November, he stated that he did shake the infant, an act he knew killed his daughter, according to the report.

After he shook her multiple times, he watched her eyes roll back into her head and she became lifeless, the report states. Martzen also admitted to shaking his daughter when she was 2 months old.

Martzen said he lied because he did not want his girlfriend to know he was responsible for the child’s death, according to the report.

Martzen, who is charged with open murder and child abuse, is being held at the Henderson Detention Center on a $1 million bond.

Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.