Indio Man Ordered To Stand Trial In Second-Degree Murder Of His Son

INDIO (CBS) —  An Indio man who allegedly hit his infant son to stop him from crying was ordered Friday to stand trial for second-degree murder and assaulting a child, along with 13 counts of felony robbery.

Joseph Roy Scott, 22, allegedly used the heel of his hand to quiet his crying, 23-day-old son Alexander on June 11, 2008. Investigators believe the baby's head hit a countertop, causing brain damage and seizures that contributed to his death in July 2009, said Deputy District Attorney Kristi Hester.

"He was crying and (Scott) got angry and frustrated with him crying," Hester said.

Alexander survived, but over the next few months, medication he was taking to prevent seizures caused his liver to fail. He contracted pneumonia in the hospital while being treated for his liver issues and died July 4, 2009.

"Had he been a normal healthy kid, he would have been able to recover from the pneumonia, but with the after-effects of brain damage, he wasn't able to," Hester said.

Had he survived, Hester said, Alexander would have been developmentally disabled for the rest of his life.

Initially arrested on suspicion of child abuse, Scott was able to post bail in December 2008. After being released, he allegedly committed a string of robberies at Circle K convenience stores across Riverside County.

From Jan. 13 to Jan. 28, 2009, Scott allegedly robbed 13 of the convenience stores, stretching from Indio to Rubidoux. He was arrested Jan. 30 -- about five months before Alexander died -- which upgraded the charges to murder in his child abuse case.

Scott also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of using a firearm during the robberies.

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