Flores had been charged in September with premeditated murder, along with an assault upon his wife and assault upon a child under 16 years of age.

Flores was a boxer for the Puerto Rico national team during the 1996 Olympics. He joined the Army after that time and was assigned as a mechanic at Fort Drum with Headquarters and Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment. Flores has been in pretrial confinement since September.

The Article 32 investigation in the Fort Drum courtroom began with government lawyers bringing in Flores’ wife, Edca, as a witness Jan. 10. She spent most of the day on the stand recounting Aug. 21, the day Angel died. Flores said her husband hit Angel repeatedly in the shower after Angel urinated in his pants three times that day.

The second witness of the day was Maj. Steven Campman, a forensic pathologist from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. , who testified that the cause of death was battered child syndrome and the manner of death was homicide.

Closing statements by the government Jan. 11 suggested that Flores did indeed kill Angel and assault Edca on a previous occasion. However, statements by the defense suggested Edca might have been responsible.

As in all Article 32 investigations, an investigating officer was appointed to hear the evidence and he will recommend to the brigade commander whether or not the charges should be referred to a court-martial, Campion said. The recommendation of the investigating officer is not final; it’s only advisory.