Grandpa Brutally Beats Grandson To Death With Hammer For Stealing Money: Police

A man in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was charged with bludgeoning to death his 12-year-old grandson after allegedly finding money missing from his wallet, court documents showed.

Andrez Martina, 53, beat his grandson, Andre Smith II, with a mallet, a sledgehammer, two belts, a coat rack and a cane over the course of 60 to 90 minutes in his home on Milwaukee’s north side, local newspaper Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported, citing a criminal complaint.

The grandfather had asked to host Smith, along with his 8-year-old brother, on Saturday night, but he began assaulting both boys when he thought that money was missing from his wallet after waking up in the middle of the night.

Smith was taken to Children's Wisconsin hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on Sunday morning, a report by Fox 6 said.

The child suffered a severe skull fracture, consistent with multiple blunt force blows to the head, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office.

Martina was later charged with first-degree intentional homicide, physical abuse of a child with repeated acts causing death, neglecting a child, physical abuse of a child with repeated acts with high probability of great bodily harm and possession of a firearm by a felon. He faces life in prison if convicted of all charges.

In an interview, Martina told police he lost control in beating Smith and "will have to deal with this (expletive) for the rest of my life," according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The grandfather told detectives Monday that he returned to Milwaukee from Indiana in May and "wanted to reconnect with his grandchildren," according to the complaint. He, however, learned that Smith allegedly "had a problem stealing."

"If you lie, if you mess up in school, if you steal, I'm going to kill you," Martina recalled telling his grandchildren in the past.

Martina told police that he woke up at around 3 a.m. Sunday and "noticed his wallet was open and money was missing," according to court documents. He then allegedly confronted his older grandson about the money before repeatedly smacking him and asking for the money.

Smith then ran into a bathroom and locked himself inside to protect himself, but Martina picked the lock open and "lost it" on the boy, according to the document. The 12-year-old also attempted to escape at one point by running out of the home, but Martina was able to grab him and drag him back.

The grandfather "claimed to not know what else to do in order to get his money back," the complaint said. During the interview, Martina also admitted to killing a boy in 1989.

The attack was reportedly witnessed by Martina's mother, who is disabled and could not intervene, as well as Smith's 8-year-old brother, who was also assaulted and suffered a broken finger and bruising.

Martina allegedly sent Smith's grandmother and legal guardian, Illysha McCroy, a text on Sunday morning accusing the 12-year-old of stealing. When she asked where Smith was, Martina reportedly replied, "He’s bleeding," according to the Fox 6 report.

McCroy later went to the house with her daughter and her boyfriend to pick up Smith before he was taken to Children's Wisconsin and died.

"[I] never thought in a million, million years something like this would happen," McCroy was quoted as saying.

Martina had been previously convicted of first-degree reckless homicide in Milwaukee County in 1990, online court records show.

A search of Martina's residence allegedly turned up drugs and a firearm.