Father pleads innocent to killing Kennewick toddler with repeated abuse

A Grandview man pleaded innocent Thursday to allegations he killed his 2-year-old son by repeatedly abusing the toddler.

Mario Torres, 34, faces a March 13 trial in Benton County Superior Court on one count of first-degree manslaughter.

The charge includes the aggravating circumstance of victim vulnerability and domestic violence.

Nicholas Torres died Dec. 26, 2014, at a Spokane hospital. However, his father was only charged earlier this month after a lengthy investigation that included a review of medical and autopsy records by a Seattle pediatrician.

The toddler’s death was ruled a homicide from ongoing abuse resulting in extensive brain trauma. A Spokane doctor determined that Nicholas was deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time.

Torres watched his son on Dec. 22, 2014, while the boy’s mother went Christmas shopping. The boy and his mother, Nicole Bernal, lived in Kennewick.

After that, the boy was found to be lethargic and somewhat unresponsive, and was taken to the hospital almost 24 hours later when a concerned relative intervened, according to court documents.

Bernal initially told investigators that Torres had not seen their son for a month. She then changed her story to say Torres had been alone with the toddler and his older son for about four hours, and later revealed Torres had claimed Nicholas fell and hit his head on a bed frame, documents said.

Torres said he took a break from playing video games with his older son, and found Nicholas slumped over in another room. He said Nicholas told him he was OK, so he left him alone until he later moved the boy to bed, court documents said.

When Nicholas was still sleeping the next day, the couple put the toddler in a bathtub and poured cold water over his head, but he reportedly didn’t wake up and his neck was limp.

The boy was moved from Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick to Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, where he died a few days later.

Torres served six months in the Benton County jail in 2015 for tampering with a witness. Documents show he encouraged his older son to “just make up lies” when investigators asked him what happened the day before his little brother’s hospitalization.

On Thursday, Torres was ordered to have no contact with all witnesses in the case, including the older son.

Prosecutor Andy Miller and Deputy Prosecutor Emily Sullivan granted an exception to the order, saying they were OK with Torres talking to Bernal because of their relationship.

Torres is locked up on $100,000 bail.

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Father pleads innocent to killing Kennewick toddler with repeated abuse."