![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/img-5210jpeg-655684-dpmg9lpc-909967-RImbu7RI-779x1024.jpeg\")
Paul Farris in his Millikan High School hat. Courtesy of Chloee Farris.<\/p>\nThe 55-year-old son of well-known Long Beach philanthropists has been charged with killing his caretaker of 16 years.<\/p>\n
Scott Braly \u2014 the son of Robert and Mary Alice Braly, who have made sizeable donations to institutions including Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach Memorial Hospital \u2014 appeared in court this week to face charges of elder abuse and involuntary manslaughter.<\/p>\n
Braly has cerebral palsy and is under a conservatorship, which his own family manages, court records show. Paul Farris, 76, had been hired to care for Braly for the last 16 years, according to Farris\u2019 family.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege Braly attacked Farris on Feb. 21, 2024, while the two were in a car heading to lunch near the intersection of Studebaker Road and Atherton Street.<\/p>\n
From his hospital bed after the attack, Farris said they were heading to eat lunch at the El Dorado Park Golf Course when they encountered a full parking lot, according to audio Farris\u2019 family provided to the Long Beach Post.<\/p>\n
According to the recorded account, when Farris suggested eating elsewhere, Braly grew incensed and tried to grab control of the car\u2019s steering wheel. Then, while the two were battling for control of the wheel, Braly punched Farris repeatedly in the head, Farris recounted.<\/p>\n
Farris said he eventually took back control of the steering wheel and drove back to the Naples condo they shared. Farris said he told a parking attendant to call 911, and the next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.<\/p>\n
About a year later, on Feb. 1, Farris died at a hospital. A Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by \u201cblunt force trauma of the head,\u201d among other contributing factors, including hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.<\/p>\n
The DA\u2019s office issued a warrant for Braly\u2019s arrest on Sept. 2, and Braly turned himself in two weeks later at the downtown Long Beach police station, police said.<\/p>\n
Braly made his first court appearance on Tuesday, but proceedings were delayed until Dec. 15 at the request of his lawyer. He has not yet entered a plea.<\/p>\n
Wearing a green polo and using a walker, Braly responded \u201cyep\u201d to the judge\u2019s questions asking if he understood the charges against him.<\/p>\n
If convicted, prosecutors say Braly could face up to 11 years in prison.<\/p>\n
His family is also facing a lawsuit over Farris\u2019 death. Farris\u2019 family sued last year, alleging Braly\u2019s family had not stepped in to address his \u201cviolent outbursts,\u201d which would happen roughly five-to-six times a month and involve \u201cphysical violence, screaming obscenities, throwing and\/or breaking objects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doug Otto, Braly\u2019s lawyer in the criminal case, said that Braly received treatment in the past, but was not under active care because he was \u201cwell taken care of\u201d by Farris and his family, Otto said.<\/p>\n
Farris\u2019 family alleged that, despite repeated requests to get Braly help, his conservators \u201cfailed to provide necessary medical care\u201d for Braly that ultimately put Farris in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n
Farris was a longtime educator in Long Beach, spending more than three decades as a special education teacher at Millikan High School, according to his daughter, Chloee Farris.<\/p>\n
Paul Farris in his Millikan High School hat. Courtesy of Chloee Farris.<\/p>\n
He met Braly while teaching at Millikan and was hired as a live-in caretaker for Braly after a chance encounter at a restaurant on Naples Island in Long Beach, Chloee Farris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis case is about accountability,\u201d Joshua Kimura, the Farris family\u2019s attorney, said in a statement. \u201cFor over a decade and a half, Paul Farris faithfully served this family, and in\u00a0 return, they turned a blind eye.\u201d<\/p>\n