TURLOCK — A Stanislaus County judge has sentenced a Turlock man to 25 years to life in prison for the 2022 murder of his 2-month-old daughter, officials said.

Joseph Rendon, 27, was previously convicted by a jury of first-degree murder and felony child abuse causing death. The Honorable Judge Mangar handed down the sentence last week following a months-long investigation led by the Turlock Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Chief District Attorney Samuel Luzadas.

Authorities said Rendon brought his daughter, Araceli, to a local hospital on April 13, 2022, claiming she had stopped breathing after a feeding. She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Medical staff initially found no visible injuries and could not determine a cause of death.

An autopsy conducted the next day revealed multiple skull fractures and significant brain trauma. Prosecutors said blunt force trauma was identified as the cause of death, prompting hospital staff to alert law enforcement.

Detectives from the Turlock Police Department attended the autopsy and later obtained search warrants for Rendon’s home and vehicle. During a voluntary interview with police, Rendon admitted to repeatedly striking his daughter’s head against a metal object because she would not stop crying, investigators said.

He was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of murder and child abuse.

Rendon will serve his sentence in state prison.