The Wisconsin grandfather who was arrested for beating his own grandson to death with a sledgehammer stood trial in Milwaukee court on Wednesday.
Emotions ran high in the courtroom as several witnesses took the stand to describe the final moments of the 12-year-old victim’s life.
Andrez Martina is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and physical abuse of a child in connection to the death of his grandson, Andre Smith, on August 29, 2021. Prosecutors accuse Martina of using a sledgehammer and other objects to beat the young boy to death.
In an interview, Martina reportedly told homicide detectives that he was under the influence and blacking out during the beating, according to Fox News.
Smith’s 8-year-old brother testified at the trial, saying he witnessed the beating and that his grandfather also used a cane to hit him.
Testifying in his own defense on Wednesday, Martina claimed that his grandson stole $1,000 from him, wouldn’t tell him where it was, and then pulled a gun on him.
“Well, once I grabbed the gun from him, and he hit the wall, everything went lights out,” Martina said, claiming he didn’t mean to kill the boy.
Martina waived his right to a jury trial in March, so the judge will decide the verdict.
