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Costa Mesa man convicted of torturing son

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A jury convicted a Costa Mesa man of torturing, abusing and trying to murder his 2-month-old son, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

Joshua Allen Robey, 26, faces 13 years to life in prison at his sentencing next month.

In October 2011, a hidden camera caught Robey using a blanket as a noose to swing around his son by the neck for more than a minute, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in the release.

The camera also showed that Robey repeatedly punched, strangled and shook the infant while babysitting him in Anaheim.

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Robey lived off-and-on with the baby’s mother and grandmother in Anaheim until about three weeks before the crime was captured on camera, at which time he moved into a motel in Costa Mesa.

His girlfriend set up the hidden camera because she suspected Robey was cheating, the release stated, but the recording instead showed him abusing their child.

Robey was viewed punching the baby with both fists and lifting him into the air by the throat while shaking him violently, according to the release.

The father also attempted to suffocate the baby, one time using his hands to press down on a blanket covering his son’s face and another time putting tape over the child’s nose and mouth, the news release said.

When Robey’s girlfriend saw the recording the next day, she took the baby to the hospital, where he was treated for fractured ribs and brain and liver injuries.

She also contacted Anaheim police, who arrested Robey later that night at a Santa Ana motel.

Robey was found guilty Monday of one felony count each of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, torture and child abuse, according to the district attorney’s office.

He was also convicted of a sentencing enhancement for causing great bodily injury to a child under 5 years of age.

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