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Charges Upgraded To First-Degree Murder In Cantonment Death Of 3-Year-Old
March 10, 2026
Charges have been upgraded to first-degree felony murder against a 28-year-old Honduran national following the death of his 3-year-old nephew at a Cantonment home.
The suspect, Samuel Antonio Maldonado Erazo, was charged last week with negligent manslaughter, based upon not taking the child for medical care. He remains in the Escambia County Jail without bond as he has an active ICE detainer.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said on Monday that Maldonado Erazo has now been charged with first-degree felony murder “based upon interviews and additional investigation.”
“The uncle will now be held responsible and accountable for not just the care, but also for inflicting these horrendous injuries,” Simmons said.
The case began on Wednesday night, March 4, when deputies responded to a report of a 3-year-old in cardiac arrest in the 1900 block of Brentco Road. Despite the efforts of first responders, the child was pronounced dead.
The subsequent autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office revealed a harrowing pattern of physical trauma. Simmons reported that the child suffered from 17 separate strikes to the head, burn marks caused by a lighter being heated and pressed into the skin, multiple broken ribs, with one being completely detached from the backbone, a transected pancreas, which is a rare injury typically only seen in cases of extreme blunt-force trauma, and signs of possible sexual abuse and a broken collarbone.
“The injuries to the child are hard to talk about and even harder to imagine having to endure,” the sheriff said.
An arrest report obtained Monday by NorthEscambia.com reveals more information about the alleged abuse that led to the death of the young boy.
The following details may be extremely disturbing to some readers.
Arrest Report Details
A deputy arriving at the home on Brentco Road found Maldonado Erazo carrying the child in the yard. Escambia Fire Rescue and Escambia County EMS performed life-saving efforts, but the child was pronounced deceased upon arrival at Sacred Heart Children’s Emergency Room.
The deputy wrote in the report that the child had numerous bruises, scratches, scrapes, and scabs covering his body, with an abnormally swollen abdomen. The deputy notes some of the bruising to be “patterned,” appearing to potentially be shoe prints, and other bruising to have crisp, straight lines consistent with a hard linear object.
Speaking through a deputy that was translating, Maldonado Erazo told deputies that the child was not feeling well and got sick after dinner the night before and still did not feel well on the day of his death, prompting Maldonado Erazo to take the child to work, the report states. He decided to leave work early and stopped to buy Alka-Seltzer for the child on the way home. At home, the child was limp and threw up. After carrying him inside, the child was unresponsive, and he called 911.
According to the ECSO, the child’s mother was deported about three weeks ago, leaving the child in Maldonado Erazo’s care.
When Maldonado Erazo was notified of the child’s passing, the deputy “could tell by Maldonado Erazo’s reaction that he wasn’t upset by the news,” the report states.
Autopsy, Search Warrant
The chief medical examiner’s statements to deputies were redacted from the report, other than to say she was “concerned” when she saw photos of the child.
A search warrant was executed at Maldonado Erazo’s residence, and a large number of the “tools, extension cords, items with handles, etc.” were seized, but it was not immediately known if any were of value as evidence.
During the autopsy performed by the chief medical examiner, injuries were found that were “likely caused by a looped cord.” There were burn marks on the child’s cheek, arm, chin and shin consistent with a hot lighter, such as a grill lighter, being pressed against the skin. Additional findings were redacted from the report, but the death was ruled a homicide.
When Maldonado Erazo was interviewed at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, he said the child was always with him, even when he is at work. He provided explanations for the injuries, including bug bites and that he dropped a 12-pack of Coca-Cola on his foot. The medical examiner disagreed.
When Maldonado Erazo was advised of his rights, deputies said he advised he did not want to speak, and he wanted a lawyer.
Investigators said another child told authorities that Maldonado Erazo “drinks too much, gets mad, and whips them with a ‘wire,’” according to the ECSO report.
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