| For Immediate Release October 25, 2005 |
Contact: | Mark Macaulay Media Relations Spokesperson (714) 347-8405 Office (714) 323-4486 Cell |
trial begins for father charged with suffocating and murdering his 11-month-old son to silence him
Santa Ana – Opening statements are set to begin this afternoon in the jury trial of James Duff, 35, of Anaheim. Duff is charged with murdering his infant son and assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death. The defendant is accused of suffocating the 11-month-old child because he would not stop crying. If convicted on all charges, the defendant could face a sentence of up to 25 years to life in state prison.
The defendant was living in Anaheim with the baby, the mother of his child, and her parents. At approximately 12:30 a.m. on July, 3, 2004, a 911 dispatcher received a call from Duff who said his son had stopped breathing. When paramedics arrived at the residence, the child was unresponsive. The child was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange where he was pronounced dead.
The trial will be conducted before the Honorable Judge James Stotler in Department
C-41, Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive W., Santa Ana, CA 92701. Senior Deputy District Attorney Sonia Balleste in the District Attorney’s Homicide Unit is prosecuting the case.