James Scott, a 44-year-old man from Alondra Park, California, was tragically shot and killed on July 8, 2015. His body was discovered by his former girlfriend on the sidewalk near her residence in the 3300 block of Marine Avenue in Gardena. According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s records, Scott was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:28 a.m. The investigation revealed that Scott had been released from jail the evening before his death, having been charged with a misdemeanor count of
injuring a child's parent—his ex-girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child. He had pleaded no contest to the charge and was sentenced to probation and jail time, which he had just completed.
The primary suspect in Scott's murder was Joseph Hector Duhon, a 67-year-old man from Long Beach and the father of Scott’s ex-girlfriend. Duhon was arrested on suspicion of murder on July 11, 2015. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office arraigned Duhon on one count of murder, and he was scheduled to appear in court on July 23, 2015. The investigation indicated that Scott had returned to his ex-girlfriend’s neighborhood after his release from jail, despite being ordered to stay away. On the night of his death, Scott allegedly had an altercation with Duhon, which resulted in Duhon shooting Scott on the sidewalk outside his daughter’s residence.
The case against Duhon was built on the events leading up to the shooting. Scott had been involved in a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend, which had led to his arrest and subsequent release. The tension between Scott and his ex-girlfriend’s family, particularly with Duhon, escalated to the point of violence. Duhon was cooperative with the authorities during the investigation, and the case was handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau. The legal proceedings against Duhon were closely followed, with the community and media paying significant attention to the case due to the circumstances surrounding Scott’s death and the involvement of his ex-girlfriend’s father.
