A former Scotts Valley man suspected of killing his father was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail last week after he was extradited from Switzerland.
James Smallwood, 54, is facing seven felonies: a murder charge, an elder or dependent adult abuse charge, an unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle charge, and four identity theft charges.
Smallwood’s 90-year-old father, Robert, was reported missing by his relatives on May 18 after they could not reach him for several days. Sheriff’s detectives and search and rescue personnel found him dead on his property the next day. An autopsy revealed that he died of traumatic injuries, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Investigators say James Smallwood was responsible for his father’s death. The two had lived together and James had fled to Switzerland before authorities found his father’s body. The Swiss government, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security helped investigators locate James Smallwood and arrest him on May 29.
Smallwood was extradited and booked into the county jail on Oct. 20. His bail has been set at $1 million.
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