Cops have upgraded the charges in the case of a 95-year-old man's beating after the victim died.
"Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a Thibodaux man has been charged with manslaughter in the death of his father," according to a news release. "Terry Martinez, 66, has been charged in connection with the death of Dennis Martinez, 95, also of Thibodaux."
Investigators say that on January 6, 2026 police got a call of an elderly Thibodaux man needing medical attention. They learned that Dennis Martinez was injured two days earlier.
"Terry Martinez had allegedly struck Dennis Martinez at his home where they both resided. This caused Dennis Martinez to fall, resulting in a head injury."
Two days after the fight, paramedics airlifted the father to University Medical Center in New Orleans.
Police booked the son for battery and cruelty to the infirm.
"On January 23, 2026, Dennis Martinez was released from the hospital and placed under hospice care at a nursing home in Thibodaux. He passed away two days later. An autopsy conducted by the Jefferson Parish Coroner’ Office ruled the manner of death as a homicide caused by a traumatic brain injury."
That resulted in detectives obtaining an additional warrant.
"Terry Martinez, who was still at the Correctional Complex, was additionally booked on the manslaughter charge. Bail is set at $400,000."