Grandfather accused of beating 12-year-old grandson to death with sledgehammer

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee grandfather has been charged with killing his grandson after he said the child took his money.

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Police said Andrez Martina beat the 12-year-old with a hammer and cane, WISN reported.

It all started Sunday morning.

Police said Andre Smith II, 12, and his 8-year-old brother were staying at Martina’s home Saturday night. Martina had moved from Indiana to Wisconsin three months ago to reconnect with his grandchildren, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

On Sunday morning, Martina had discovered his wallet open and money missing, The Associated Press reported.

>>Previous coverage: Milwaukee boy, 12, killed in alleged hammer attack; 8-year-old injured, police say

At one point Andre turned out his pockets to show Martina that they were empty and didn’t have the money.

The boys’ grandmother and legal guardian, Illysha McCroy, had allowed the boys to stay at Martina’s home. She woke up the boys’ mother, Nia Moore, and told her to get her sons immediately after McCroy received a text message from Martina accusing Andre of stealing money. The message also indicated the 12-year-old was hurt, the Journal Sentinel reported.

When McCroy, Moore and Moore’s boyfriend, Anthony Anderson, arrived at Martina’s home, Moore’s 8-year-old son answered the door and ran out.

Anderson went inside and saw Andre covered in blood.

Andre was taken to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police spoke with Andre’s great-grandmother who lives with Martina. She said she heard yelling early Sunday and when she looked to see what was going on, she saw Martina “striking Andre with a hammer all over his body, including the head and back,” police said in a criminal complaint.

She said Martina then put down the hammer and then picked up her cane to hit the boy, WISN reported.

The great-grandmother is disabled and was not able to intervene, police said, according to the Journal Sentinel.

The 8-year-old told police Martina hit him and his brother with a mallet, sledgehammer, coat rack and cane, WISN reported.

The alleged beatings happened over the course of 60 to 90 minutes, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Martina told the police that he “lost it.”

He admitted to police that he had told his grandsons in the past “If you lie, if you mess up in school, if you steal, I’m going to kill you,” police wrote in the criminal complaint.

Andre suffered skull fractures, consistent with multiple blunt force hits to the head. He also had a severe brain injury, police stated in the criminal complaint.

The 8-year-old had a broken finger and bruising, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Martina has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, physical abuse of a child and child neglect, WISN reported. He faces life in prison if convicted, the Journal Sentinel reported.

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