38-year old Clarence Lee Scott did not enter a plea Monday because he didn't have an attorney to represent him.
His friends tell me Scott was taking care of his girlfriend's son when an accident happened.
Temple Pool says Clarence Lee Scott was like a brother to her.
Temple Pool, Clarence Scott's Friend: "Very very shocked and hurt I don't think he deserves to be arrested whatsoever."
Pool describes Scott as a caring father who helped raise Daniel Gray, his girlfriend's son. She says he and Ashley also have an 8-month old daughter who's now in protective custody.
The couple lived together in this apartment on Brooks Drive in Lemoore, where the little boy died.
Pool says her friend is being wrongly accused and says Scott was just trying to perform CPR on the child after he choked on a hot dog.
Pool: "I know what happened and you know the baby choked and Clarence did what he could to try to save him and it didn't work so everything was just a major total accident."
Lemoore detectives paint a very different picture of what happened the night of January 22nd. The coroner's office says Daniel Gray died of blunt force trauma to the abdomen and investigators believe Clarence Scott is behind the crime.
Lemoore Police Chief, Kimberly Morrell says it's sad that the victim of Lemoore's first homicide of 2008 is a child.
Kimberly Morrell, Lemoore Police Chief: "We really just need to be mindful when we have other people taking care of our children whether its family or caregivers and we start seeing bruises - I'm not saying that this occurred here."
38-year old Scott now faces four felony charges of homicide, assault causing death of a child under 8 years old, and two charges unrelated to the baby's death...child abuse on a separate victim and cohabitant abuse.
Prosecutors tell me that last charge, cohabitant abuse is for abuse against his girlfriend, Ashley. And that the other child abuse charge is against Ashley's 3-year old son who also lived with them.
Clarence Scott will be back in court on February 13th where he's expected to enter a plea with an attorney present.
He's being held on $1 million dollars bail.
