Jamel Curtiz Scott

Gary man admits mom's death was homicide, not natural

Contributed By: The 411 News

Jamel Curtiz Scott turned himself in to Lake County law enforcement officials, according to the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office affidavit charging him with murder.

In the document, Scott, age 51, told detectives in the Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force that the death of his mother, Sandra Scott in 2018, was a homicide not an accident. “He advised he has been homeless for years and wanted to get the matter off his chest.”

Scott is charged with murder and neglect of a dependant resulting in death.

Scott came to live with his mother in her home in Gary in early 2018 after serving prison time, the affidavit says.

Although he was supposed to be taking care of his mother, Scott said he didn’t have the patience required and it was too much for him. Sandra Scott was 78. She had had a hip replacement and was on heart medication. Her frailty angered him, Scott said.

Scott stated that Sandra Scott asked him to take her to the hospital; he refused to take her because she would not pay his outstanding probation fees.

Gary Police arrived at the residence on July 7, 2018 in relation to a death investigation. Scott told Gary Police he had left the house at 7am and spoke with her before returning at 5pm where he saw her laying at the bottom of the stairs. Scott said he picked his mother off the floor and placed her on a box.

He believed his mother had fallen down the stairs and was uninjured, the document said. Scott said he was fatigued and unable to carry his mother.

Scott told Gary Police he left the residence, coming back at 6:30pm. Sandra Scott was cold to the touch, Jamel Scott said. Since he didn’t have a cell phone to call 911, Scott said he went to Methodist Hospital seeking assistance.

In his statements to the Homicide Task Force, Scott said three days before Gary Police arrived he was tired and trying to sleep, but his mother’s moans would not stop. The mother and son slept in the same room.

Scott said he dragged her to another room and threw her in it. Sandra Scott’s moans continued, he said. At that point, Scott said he threw her down stairs to the home’s main level and then again, down stairs to the basement level. He stated that he made sure she cleared the stairs and that she did not bounce on them. He closed the door.

Scott told the Homicide Task Force detectives his mother remained in the basement for three days before police were notified. He said he did not tell the coroner or the police what happened because it was none of their business.

The Lake County Coroner’s autopsy report on Sandra Scott in 2018 indicated the cause of overall death as natural due to blockages of her arteries. The report also noted injuries to the forehead, 12 rib fractures, an injury to the right kidney, and abrasions on the legs.

Story Posted:01/16/2025