A Gary man recently confessed to police that he murdered his mother in 2018.
Jamel Curtiz Scott, 53, is charged with murder and neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony.
Scott presented himself to law enforcement in Crown Point saying he would like to confess to the murder of his mother, 78-year-old Sandra Scott, according to the probable cause affidavit. He told police that he’s been homeless for years and wanted to get the matter off of his chest. Police advised him of his constitutional rights, court records state.
Jamel Scott had been released from prison in January 2018 — after serving a year and 11 months for resisting law enforcement — and moved back in with his mother. He told police that he started to become physical and beat his mother, records state. He complained that she moaned in her sleep. He told police that he was supposed to care for her but did not have the patience required, the affidavit states.
About three days before his mom died, he told police that he was tired and trying to sleep when he went crazy because she started to moan and wouldn’t stop. He dragged his mother to another room and threw her in it, telling her to stay inside, court records state. When she kept moaning, he threw her down the stairs to the main level and again down the basement stairs.
Once she was in the basement, he closed the door, records state. He left her in the basement for three days before contacting law enforcement.
He told police that he failed to tell the coroner or police what happened because it was none of their business, the affidavit states.
His mother had a hip replacement while he was in prison and had asked him to take her to the doctor, but he refused because she would not pay his outstanding probation fees.
He considered throwing his mother out the window but opted for the stairs instead, court records state.
When police arrived at the residence on July 7, 2018, Scott told them he found his mother dead and they located her at the bottom of the basement stairs showing no signs of life. Scott told them he had spoken with her before he left at 7 a.m. that day and found her dead at 5 p.m. when he returned; he delayed calling police for several hours because he said he didn’t have a cell phone, records state.
A witness told police that she believed Scott abused his mother and was aware of numerous visible injuries that Sandra Scott showed while living with Jamel Scott.
At first, the coroner’s office listed Sandra Scott’s cause of death as natural due to blockages in her arteries, but the coroner’s report also noted 12 rib fractures, a hematoma in the right renal capsule, and cuts on her legs and forehead, the affidavit states. She also had numerous daily prescriptions for heart medications, which she wasn’t able to access after her falls.
Once Scott confessed, the coroner’s office said the attack may have triggered a cardiac episode and being without her medication for an extended period could have resulted in death by heart attack, court records state. The coroner’s office adjusted the nature of death from natural to undetermined given the new information.
