LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Clarence Edward Martin, the man accused of killing his 2-month-old daughter by throwing her off a second-story balcony, tried to burn the apartment he shared with the baby’s mother by starting a fire early Saturday morning before leaving the scene, according to an arrest report.
Martin, 32, fled in a white 2015 Mercedes Benz that was involved in several crashes before he was eventually arrested for entering a secure area of McCarran International Airport less than an hour after the initial call to police.
Nicole Poole, the baby’s mother, said Martin had told her earlier in their four-year relationship that he had mental health issues, but she had seen no signs of a problem until the middle of last week. She told police Martin hadn’t eaten in three days.
Sometime after 1 a.m. Saturday, Martin woke Poole in their Jeffreys Street apartment, kicking her as they were in bed together. According to a recorded statement obtained by police, Poole took the baby into the living room and sat down on the couch next to the front door of the apartment.
At that point, Martin pulled the baby out of Poole’s arms and stepped out of the apartment onto the landing. Seconds later, he stepped back into the apartment and did not have the baby, according to Poole’s statement.
Poole said she ran outside and found the baby laying on the ground in the parking area. Investigators determined the baby was thrown about 22-and-a-half feet, from a height of nearly 15 feet.
