A Mexican court sentenced former professional baseball player Sergio Mitre to 50 years in prison for the murder of his former girlfriend’s 22-month-old daughter, according to multiple reports.
Mitre was dating the girl’s mother when the toddler died in July 2020, WMAQ-TV reported. He was found guilty Wednesday of femicide in the death, which happened in Saltillo, Mexico, Mexican magazine Proceso reported. He faced a minimum sentence of 40 years and a maximum sentence of 60 years, according to the magazine.
Authorities determined that the 22-month-old girl died of hypovolemic shock, a condition in which a loss of blood or fluids makes it impossible for the heart to pump enough blood to the body, Mexican newspaper El Heraldo de Saltillo reported. The condition was caused by a renal artery laceration, according to the newspaper. Officials said they also uncovered injuries to the girl’s back and head that suggested domestic violence, El Heraldo de Saltillo reported.
Authorities charged Mitre in 2019 with the domestic assault of another romantic partner in 2019, the New York Daily News reported. He paid a 20,000 peso fine that allowed him to avoid prison time, according to the newspaper.
Born in Los Angeles, Mitre pitched for the Chicago Cubs, the Florida Marlins, the New York Yankees and the Milwaukee Brewers between 2003 and 2011. In 2017, he began playing in the Mexican Baseball League, according to Sports Illustrated. He was suspended indefinitely by the league and his most recent club, Saraperos de Saltillo, after authorities filed charges against him in 2020, the magazine reported.