A 53-year-old Miami-Dade man has been charged with the murder of his 81-year-old father, whom he had initially claimed died from injuries sustained in a fall. The police reported responding to a call of an unresponsive man in the Fontainebleau neighborhood early Saturday morning where they discovered the elderly man unresponsive in his bed, according to authorities and reported by Local 10.
David Scott Buer, the son, led the first responders to the deceased, his father Paul Buer but an autopsy later revealed the cause of death as "homicidal violence, including strangulation," contrary to injuries consistent with a fall, the medical examiner detailed findings that raised doubts about the son's initial account of an accident, as reported by Local 10. Officers noted bruises and lacerations on the elderly man’s body and discovered blood spatter on nearby window blinds and bed smears, along with bloody towels throughout the residence during the initial investigation.
Following the autopsy findings, which CBS News Miami cited as specifying strangulation and violence as the cause of death, police took David Buer into custody; he now faces a charge of first-degree murder related to aggravated abuse of an elderly victim. Jail records indicate he is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Additional details emerged troubled history, David Buer had previously faced charges for elderly abuse against his father about a decade ago further complicating the image of an isolated fall. His current charges now also echo that history, underscoring a pattern of violence that led to the tragic outcome, according to the arrest report referenced by CBS News Miami. Despite initially claiming the injuries were caused by a fall, investigators noted injuries on David Buer's own forearms and hands, which questioned the veracity of his claims and suggested a struggle might have occurred.
