MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 53-year-old man who told authorities his father died after sustaining injuries from a recent fall at their Fontainebleau home is now facing a murder charge, according to Miami-Dade police.
Authorities said officers responded to a call of an unresponsive man at approximately 12:49 a.m. on Saturday., at a home near Northwest Sixth Lane, just south of the Dolphin Expressway.
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Police said David Scott Buer, the victim’s son, led first responders to the west bedroom, where they found 81-year-old Paul Buer lying unresponsive in his bed and pronounced him dead at 12:57 a.m.
According to an arrest report, police noted numerous bruises on Paul Buer’s face, neck, torso and arms, along with minor lacerations on his arms when they arrived at the scene.
Investigators said Buer claimed the injuries were the result of a partial fall his father had suffered three days earlier. He claimed that he had assisted his father back to bed after the fall, which accounted for the injuries on the victim’s arms, authorities said.
However, police said the physical evidence at the scene raised significant doubts about David Buer’s explanation.
Homicide investigators said they observed blood spatters on the window blinds near the victim’s bed and apparent blood smears on the bed itself. Several blood-soaked paper towels were also found scattered throughout the residence, further complicating David Buer’s story, according to police.
Authorities said the case took a critical turn when Nicholas Barna, an associate medical examiner for Miami-Dade County, conducted an autopsy on the victim.
Barna concluded that the cause of Paul Buer’s death was “homicidal violence, including strangulation,” detectives wrote.
According to Barna, the extent of the victim’s injuries did not align with David Buer’s account of a fall.
Following the autopsy, police said homicide investigators took David Buer into custody just after 7 p.m.
During questioning, detectives said David Buer reiterated his story, claiming that his father had fallen and struck a walker a few days before his death.
He also stated that he and his father were the only two people living in the home at the time.
Investigators noted that David Buer had injuries to his outer forearms and hands, which further fueled suspicions.
Jail records show David Buer is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a first-degree murder charge related to aggravated abuse of an elderly victim.