DECATUR, Ga.,None — A DeKalb County father accused of suffocating his 5-year-old son to death is expected to face a judge Tuesday.
Police said Gary DeToma Sr., 41, suffocated his son on Monday and tried to kill another.
DeToma remained in jail Tuesday charged with murder and aggravated assault.
Police said DeToma admitted he suffocated his son, Gary DeToma Jr., inside their Decatur apartment Monday.
VIDEO: Officers Charge Father In Death Of 5-Year-Old SLIDESHOW: Child Killed Scene
Investigators said DeToma and his wife are in the middle of a divorce. When DeToma failed to return Gary Jr. and his younger brother to their mother after a weekend visit, the family became worried. And when DeToma failed to show up for work, a co-worker went to check on him.
"There was a 4-year-old little boy who met him at the door and could only tell him that his father was upstairs. When the co-worker went upstairs he found the 5-year-old boy laying in the bed and he appeared to be deceased," said Dep. Chief Keith Lee of the Decatur Police Department.
One neighbor said he's a father himself, so the crime makes him sick.
"What was running through his head at the time? And I think of the little boy's last moments. He must have been terrified," said neighbor Robert Fillippo.
Police said the 4-year-old boy who survived the attack suffered some oxygen deprivation but will be OK.
Previous Stories: July 12, 2010: Officers Find 5-Year-Old Dead On Bed; Charge Father