Neuropathologist says Modesto toddler’s death was not accidental

A neuropathologist on Monday testified that 2-year-old Christopher Ripley died at the hands of another after suffering severe brain injuries at his Modesto home nearly a year ago.

Michelle Jorden, a Santa Clara County assistant medical examiner, reviewed Christopher’s medical records, along with reports from the Modesto Police Department, the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office and a child abuse expert from a Madera hospital investigating the toddler’s suspicious death.

She said the massive cranial cerebral injuries Christopher suffered couldn’t have occurred in the various accounts given by the man accused of murder in the child’s death, Martin Martinez. “There was more to the story to cause the massive injury,” Jorden said.

The boy suffered the severe head injuries Sept. 30 while home alone with Martinez and died at a Madera hospital two days later.

Martinez’s preliminary hearing resumed Monday morning with the neuropathologist. Local authorities hired Jorden to examine Christopher’s brain, spinal cord, eyes and dura, the tough outermost membrane enveloping the brain.

The brain was in motion when Christopher was injured, tearing small bridging veins and creating an accumulation of blood found in the dura, Jorden testified. She believes Christopher was subjected to forces that caused his head to shake back and forth and side to side, causing massive brain swelling that limited the flow of oxygen and blood in his brain.

The swelling was so severe that the brain started to squeeze out of a hole at the base of the skull, according to the neuropathologist.

Jorden said the child’s manner of death was homicide, but she testified that the homicide finding does not indicate whether the injury was accidental. But after reviewing the various accounts from Martinez, provided by authorities, Jorden determined that the death was non-accidental.

There were four differing versions of how Christopher could have been injured at his Modesto home on Pasadena Lane.

Martinez initially told a paramedic that Christopher fell back when he swept the boy’s legs while the two were roughhousing. The boy’s mother, Amanda Crews, said her boyfriend was wrestling with the toddler when Martinez picked up the child, and that Christopher arched his back and fell to the ground.

The neuropathologist testified that the height of a fall is very important. Jorden said a fall of 3 feet, as described in the various scenarios, would not have caused the serious brain injuries found in Christopher.

She believes the fracture found on the back of Christopher’s skull was caused when his head struck the tiled bathroom floor; not the carpeted floor in the bedroom. Jorden testified that the cluttered bedroom wouldn’t have provided the kind of space needed for the roughhousing described by the defendant.

Modesto police Detective Phil Owen testified Monday that Martinez gave him two different accounts of how Christopher was injured. Owen questioned Martinez for about 90 minutes on Oct. 1.

Martinez told the detective he was on his knees playing with Christopher, flipping the boy over the back of his shoulders when the child fell. The defendant said he was still on one knee when the boy fell.

At the end of the same police interview, Martinez demonstrated flipping Christopher over the back of his shoulders. Only this time, the defendant demonstrated that Christopher fell when Martinez stood up. His demonstration for the detective was recorded on video and shown in court Monday afternoon.

When the detective began to question Martinez, the detective told him he was not going to be arrested and would be released as soon as the interview was over. Martinez responded, “Sweet,” according to Owen.

He testified that Martinez’s demeanor appeared relaxed and happy during questioning, based on the defendant’s tone of voice, how he sat on his chair and how he answered questions. Owen said Martinez didn’t appear sad or angry, even though a child was dead or dying at that point. He said Martinez appeared delighted to be questioned by a homicide detective, giving the detective the impression Martinez viewed the situation as a game.

“Frankly, I was little bit surprised by his demeanor,” Owen said on the witness stand. “I thought he was being very untruthful, deceptive.”

The detective testified that Martinez displayed no emotion while being questioned, and he sensed a bit of narcissism in the defendant’s responses. Owen said Martinez made statements such as “I guess if I wasn’t born, this wouldn’t have happened.”

The defendant’s perceived lack of sadness was inconsistent with Martinez telling him that Christopher meant everything to him. “These things didn’t match up, they just didn’t make sense.”

Several months after the police interview, the boy’s mother, Crews, 38, was found dead at her home on Nob Hill Court in east Modesto. Also found dead July 18 at the two-story house were her daughters, 6-month-old Rachael and 6-year-old Elizabeth; Martin Martinez’s mother, Anna Brown Romero, 57; and a 5-year-old girl believed to be Martinez’s niece.

While authorities have said Martinez is the suspect in their deaths, they have not said when they will file charges against him. Martinez, 31, has been formally charged only with murder and child abuse in Christopher’s death.

Martinez’s preliminary hearing, used to determine whether he will stand trial, continues Thursday in Stanislaus Superior Court.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Neuropathologist says Modesto toddler’s death was not accidental."