By the time Daemon was 5 months old, Daemon Scott’s small body was already a testament to a lifetime of brutality, with bruises, cuts to his face, cigarette burns and numerous indications of trauma over time.
Daemon was born on Jan. 15, 2019. On June 11, 2019, Ormond Beach police responded to 19 North Younge Street, Lot 70, after his father, Calib J. Scott, 23 at the time, called 911 to report that his son was having difficulties breathing. Responders took the child to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach. He had open sores, cuts to the nose, mouth and face. The baby died.
The boy’s mother had gone to work at the time of the incident. She and Scott would later claim, according to a report by the Department of Children and Families, that “a box fan fell on Daemon the prior day and left bruising on his face. The father claimed he was changing Daemon’s diaper on the changing table when Daemon became limp and unconscious.” Both were lying. The Medical Examiner’s autopsy completed the same day the boy died determined the cause of death was due to intentional blunt head trauma–that is, a homicide.
Scott would later confess to law enforcement and child protective investigators that he had killed his son. “He detailed being frustrated by Daemon’s crying and dropped him on the floor, picked him up by his neck, hit him across the face, and subsequently threw him onto the changing table where his head hit a metal bar,” according to the DCF report.
“The mother denied any knowledge of injuries sustained to Daemon, but law enforcement photographs showed extensive injuries that occurred over time including an extensive sore on
Daemon’s nose and mouth and a cigarette burn inside his ear. Collateral interviews reported the mother knew of the injuries and was seen putting Vick’s vapor rub on the child’s nose and mouth.”
The mother fled the state the day after the incident, going to Monroe, Mich., by way of Toledo, Ohio. (The couple had moved to Florida in December 2018. They had not lived in the state before. The boy’s mother had other children, but gave them all away to family)
Scott was arrested on charges of first degree murder and aggravated child abuse, both first-degree felonies, and neglect of a child.
Today, after just a two-day trial plus a day of jury selection in DeLand, a jury of six women and six men found Scott guilty on all charges. He faces the death penalty when that phase of the trial, with the same jury, begins on April 11.
“Baby Daemon suffered through 5 months of hell and ultimately died at the hands of his father,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza was quoted as saying in a release. “What he suffered is unimaginable. How could a father be so selfish and cruel? We will remain dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable and precious members of our community as we prepare for the sentencing phase of the trial.”
Assistant State Attorney’s Andrew Urbanak and Heatha Trigones successfully tried the case for the State. Assistant Public Defender Matt Phillips represented Scott. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols presided over the trial and will sit on the sentencing phase.
The last time a Volusia County convict was executed dates back to 1998, though dozens of Volusia County inmates sit on death row.
Nearly a year after Scott’s arrest, his then-ex-wife, Stephanie Holly, was arrested in Michigan on charges of Neglect of a Child Causing Great Bodily Harm, a second degree felony, Failure to Report Child Abuse, a third degree felony, and Culpable Negligence Causing Harm, a second degree misdemeanor. She has been held on $210,000 bond at the Volusia Branch Jail since July 9. The case is still in its pre-trial phases, though today’s outcome would likely spur Holly to agree to a plea.
Abuse Hotline: Report Abuse Online
The Florida Abuse Hotline accepts reports 24 hours a day and 7 days a week of known or suspected child abuse, neglect, or abandonment and reports of known or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Please use the links below to report a child or adult abuse.
If you suspect or know of a child or vulnerable adult in immediate danger, call 911.
TTY: 711 or
1-800-955-8771
FAX: 1-800-914-0004
Any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a child is abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, caregiver, or other person responsible for the child’s welfare is a mandatory reporter. § 39.201(1)(a), Florida Statutes.
To report an allegation in Spanish or Creole, please call 1-800-962-2873, for TTY use 711 or 1-800-955-8771. This toll free number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with counselors waiting to assist you.
Click to access child-maltreatment-report.pdf
Alonzo says
I a man, wanted to cry when I read apart of this message. This poor child, I hope he is with his maker. It hurts my heart to imagine the pain the young child went through. Some people don’t need children. I guess I will go to bed with tears in my eyes and heart. O GOD please give me the strength to make it through the night.It hurt me soo much, the pain this innocent child went through.
Gina Weiss says
I had to read this article twice because I could not believe what my brain was comprehending. I tried going to sleep but could not without commenting. A beautiful baby who just wanted to be held, loved and cradled only knew about being abused, tortured and hurt during his short lived years on this earth by the hands of demons amongst us. I somehow wished by some magical power of fate that I could have scooped this child up from these devil parents and could have shown him the beauty of life and all it has to offer. It makes one feel helpless and sad as this happens more often than it should. This person needs to answer to his maker and this child’s mother who has the gall to have even more children needs to be put away with the key thrown away.
Concerned Citizen says
I’ll catch hell for this, but…
This dude if found guilty of the death penalty deserves every bit of it. And I hope he not only gets found guilty but looses all of his appeals. And ends up getting what’s due. Every bit of this article turned my stomach.
My wife and I were unable to have children. But we care for our various nieces and nephews as if they were our own. Having spent most of my adult life in various Public Safety capacities and her in health care I hate every aspect of abuse cases. Even more so when it ends up a death.
I don’t want to hear all the boo hoo possible mental health issues. Sometimes there are just mean people in this world. And this punk happens to be one of them. And his partner was no better. It sickens me to see she will be possibly offered a plea. She was just as accountable.
Finally it seems to me DCS could have intervened quicker and didn’t. When are they going to step up? And start protecting our children more.
I hope Jury and Judge do the right thing in this case. But I’m not going to hold my breath. We will end up reading about a plea on this guy in a few months. And all we can do is shake our heads.
I'm that citizen too says
I completely agree with your comment. Not only that, I wish that when that piece of scum is found guilty and sent to prison, the other inmates find out what he has done and makes him regret being born. This poor child’s mother deserves a harsh sentence, as well.
The Truth says
Pretty clear to me, goodbye!
ASF says
Stephanie Holly should be incarcerated for life, without the possibility of parole. That is the only “deal” she deserves. This is the second child she has given birth to that has died under criminally questionable circumstances.
JustDisgusted says
In that case she needs to get the DEATH PENALTY as well- both are Disgusting poor excuses of human beings. They both need to be put to death. Very sad and I pray that the other children are taken away from any of their families as it is obvious NOBODY cared about them. Some people disgust the hell out of me!
Samantha says
The baby deserves both the father and mother be given the death penalty no bond and no appeals, that is justice for this poor little soul that never never deserved the brutality of this low life scum bag.
Bk says
Although this man deserves hell for what he did, he doesn’t deserve the death penalty. Nobody does. His life could easily be made a swell hell by sending him to a pentex like atlanta or another terrible place like that, for life.
Concerned Citizen says
I don’t know how you came across that but..
This man killed his own child. For no other reason than being an angry hateful dbag. He deserves every bit of that death penalty. That child deserved NONE of that.
This is the one time I won’t back down from supporting the death penalty. He committed one of the most heinous crimes out there. And needs to answer for it. Just as that poor child answered for his shortcomings as a father. As soon as he murdered his child he forfeited any right to life.
I tend to save my sympathy for the victims.
Bk says
Death would be too easy for this sleazebag. That’s why life in prison without possibility of parole is better, if you haven’t seen, our prison system is already hell on earth, and just know his fellow inmates would love to teach him a lesson on how to treat another human being.
Mercy says
What I truly feel will be censured.
RIP