Trial underway in La Quinta toddler’s death

Derrick and Patricia Brown were back in court Wednesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. They’re on trial for the death of Derrick Brown’s 2-year-old son Deetrick.

An emergency room doctor from JFK Memorial Hospital testified. He treated Deetrick in 2003 after the boy suffered a seizure at his La Quinta home. The doctor told the judge Deetrick was malnourished and transferred him to Loma Linda where he died.

Jasmine Nyx said her mother and stepfather are innocent.

“The truth is Deetrick died of natural causes,” said He was a very sick kid when he came to us. There was nothing normal about him.”

The district attorney’s office said the toddler died of abusive head trauma. Derrick and Patricia Brown were arrested in June 2003 and charged with murder. However, a judge ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed to trial. A decade later, they were rearrested after the DA’s office reexamined the case and submitted new evidence and refiled the charges.

During the trial, an investigator with the sheriff’s department central homicide unit played a 47-minute long audio recording of his interview with the couple who denied the abuse.

“It’s hard knowing they are basically knowing they are making up lies to arrest my parents,” Nyx said.

Nyx wasn’t allowed in the courtroom because she is expected to testify in the case. She told us last year she was with Deetrick when he suffered his last seizure at their La Quinta home. Nyx said was never questioned by authorities.
She’ll continue to support her parents as the trial unfolds.

“I don’t know how I would take that. I don’t know how I would take them being arrested for something they didn’t do. To be prosecuted 25 to life, I can’t even wrap my mind around how I would react to that,” said Nyx.

Prosecutor Michelle Paradise told News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 a lot of work has been done in the case since 2003. She expects to rest her case by the end of Monday and the defense and jury will go from there.