Video shows arrest of man accused of murdering nine-month-old son
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IDAHO FALLS – A local man was arrested Friday on a charge that he murdered his nine-month-old son over a year ago.
Robert Saad Sr., 30, is charged with first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated battery. He made his first court appearance Monday and is being held in the Bonneville County Jail on $100,000 bail.
Video submitted to EastIdahoNews.com shows Saad being arrested during a traffic stop Nov. 3 in connection to the death of Robert Lawrence Saad Jr. The arrest was made after the death was investigated by authorities and deemed suspicious, according to a news release.
Police reports show on Sept. 15, 2016, Saad Sr., the child’s father, called 911 and reported that his son was unresponsive. First responders were dispatched to the 1700 block of South Higbee and the child was taken to the hospital by ambulance. It was determined the baby died from being shaken.
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On the Idaho Repository, it shows Saad was charged with murder in perpetration of rape or lewd conduct with a minor under 12, but that isn’t technically correct. Bonneville County Assistant Chief Deputy Prosecutor Penelope North Shaul told EastIdahoNews.com the reason for the differences in the charge between the repository and court documents is because of how the charge was entered in the repository.
She said murder in perpetration of rape and murder and perpetration of aggravated battery fall under the same Idaho Statute (18-4003). When that statute was entered into the repository, it simply appears as murder in perpetration of rape.
“If you read the Idaho Code, it’s just a matter of which conduct it is,” Shaul said. “It goes in their court system under the same (section) because it’s the same statute, but the charging language changes.”
Saad is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Friday, Nov. 17 in Bonneville County.
CLARIFICATION: In an earlier version of this story, we said Saad is charged with murder in perpetration of rape or lewd conduct with a minor under 12 due to an entry on the Idaho Repository. He was actually charged with first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated battery. There is no evidence of sexual misconduct listed in the court documents.