The 55-year-old son of well-known Long Beach philanthropists has been charged with killing his caretaker of 16 years.
Scott Braly — 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 — appeared in court this week to face charges of elder abuse and involuntary manslaughter.
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’ family.
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.
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’ family provided to the Long Beach Post.
According to the recorded account, when Farris suggested eating elsewhere, Braly grew incensed and tried to grab control of the car’s steering wheel. Then, while the two were battling for control of the wheel, Braly punched Farris repeatedly in the head, Farris recounted.
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.
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 “blunt force trauma of the head,” among other contributing factors, including hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The DA’s office issued a warrant for Braly’s arrest on Sept. 2, and Braly turned himself in two weeks later at the downtown Long Beach police station, police said.
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.
Wearing a green polo and using a walker, Braly responded “yep” to the judge’s questions asking if he understood the charges against him.
If convicted, prosecutors say Braly could face up to 11 years in prison.
His family is also facing a lawsuit over Farris’ death. Farris’ family sued last year, alleging Braly’s family had not stepped in to address his “violent outbursts,” which would happen roughly five-to-six times a month and involve “physical violence, screaming obscenities, throwing and/or breaking objects.”
Doug Otto, Braly’s lawyer in the criminal case, said that Braly received treatment in the past, but was not under active care because he was “well taken care of” by Farris and his family, Otto said.
Farris’ family alleged that, despite repeated requests to get Braly help, his conservators “failed to provide necessary medical care” for Braly that ultimately put Farris in harm’s way.
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.
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.
“This case is about accountability,” Joshua Kimura, the Farris family’s attorney, said in a statement. “For over a decade and a half, Paul Farris faithfully served this family, and in return, they turned a blind eye.”
Braly’s father, Robert, founded Energy Tubulars in Long Beach in 1959, which supplies tubular goods — such as drill pipe, casing and tubing — to the oil and gas industry, according to the company’s website.
Chloee Farris said the Braly family’s prominence led to a surreal and “gut-wrenching” moment while her father was in the hospital on life support.
While visiting him at Long Beach Memorial, she said, her sister looked up and saw a plaque dedicated to Scott Braly’s parents in recognition of donations they had made to the hospital.
“We just want justice for my dad,” Chloee Farris said. “He was an amazing man who had this terrible thing happen to him, and nobody’s taking accountability for it.”