An El Paso County couple is facing first-degree murder charges after reportedly forcing their 11-year-old boy to drink too much water.

According to The Denver Channel, the incident occurred between March 10-11, after the boy's father, 41-year-old Ryan Sabin, and stepmother, 42-year-old Tara Sabin, tried to make him drink 64 ounces of water in a day.

In the arrest affidavit from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Ryan Sabin asserted that his son was wetting the bed because he wasn't drinking enough water.

When Ryan Sabin came home from work on March 10, Tara Sabin told him that the child was still refusing to drink water.

According to Ryan Sabin, the boy was complaining of pain in his legs, throwing up, and throwing a tantrum, all of which can be symptoms of water intoxication.

After unsuccessfully attempting to get the boy to chug the water, Ryan Sabin began kicking the child, who later fell asleep before walking around and making strange noises.

The parents then put the child to bed around 11:15 p.m. When they went to wake him at 6:15 a.m. the next morning, he was dead.

The El Paso County Coroner's Office later determined that the boy's cause of death was forced water intoxication, ruling his death a homicide.

The sheriff's office announced the fate of the Sabin parents on Tuesday (June 16), revealing they are currently in the El Paso County Jail, facing charges of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death, and misdemeanor child abuse.

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