BAKERSFIELD — A 20–year-old Bakersfield man was arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder of his four-month son. Stepfon Jones, Sr. was booked into the Kern County Jail for charges of murder and child abuse.
According to the Bakersfield Police Department, officers were called out to the 1900 block of California Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 regarding an ambulance request for a baby not breathing. When officers arrived, they provided CPR to a four-month old child.
“It was then that officers noticed trauma to the body of the child,” said BPD Public Information Officer Joe Grubbs. “That trauma was not consistent with the suspect’s and the child’s mother’s statement, who were both inside the residence at the time.”
The child was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. An investigation ensued, and detectives were able to establish enough evidence to arrest of Jones on suspicion of murder.
Jones has a history of violence. According to the Kern County Superior Court’s web site, he pleaded no contest to battery charges last year. He had been arrested on November 3 for battery on a spouse, cohabitant, or former spouse, along with driving an unregistered vehicle and without a license.
The details of the injuries to the child are not being released at this time pending an autopsy that has been scheduled for April 28.
Detectives said that they conducted interviews with Jones and the infant’s mother, who cooperated with investigators through the course of this investigation.
