Murder charges filed 10 years after infant died

A South Lake Tahoe man serving time for burglary now faces murder charges in the death of his 3-week-old son.

David Paul DeMartile

When David Paul DeMartile Jr. died on Nov. 14, 2008, there was something suspicious that led officers to request an autopsy. It was determined the infant had been abused. However, there was not enough evidence to make an arrest even though DeMartile was a person of interest a decade ago.

The case was reopened by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, which is going through cold cases. While the new evidence is not being released, the department believes it has enough to charge David Paul DeMartile Sr. with the death of his son.

Investigators are not commenting on the whereabouts of the child’s mother or what she might have known at the time.

DeMartile was sentenced last year to 14 years in prison on a burglary charge. He has been in trouble with the law multiple times.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report