Christopher Earl

The mother of a Flint man accused of using his hands and feet and a cane to cause injuries leading to his elderly stepfather’s death said Tuesday she tried to stop her son from striking her husband repeatedly.

Christopher Earl, 35, has been charged with murder, assault (threat), assault causing bodily injury to a family member and injury to an elderly person in connection to the injuries and death of his 73-year-old stepfather Roy Bailey in December 2019.

He was in the Smith County Jail from Dec. 25, 2019, to Nov. 3 of this year. His bonds totaled over $1.5 million.

Earl’s trial began Monday in the 7th District Court with opening statements from Assistant District Attorney Richard Vance. The presentation of evidence began Tuesday and will continue Wednesday morning.

According to the murder indictment, Earl is accused of hitting Bailey with his hand and kicking Bailey in the head and striking him with a blunt object (a cane).

Following the reading of the indictment, Earl’s lawyer John Jarvis said his client was not guilty Monday.

On Tuesday, Earl’s mother said the condition for Earl to stay at her home she owned with Bailey was for him to get a job.

She said Earl had not found a job as of Dec. 23, 2019. Bailey was frustrated Earl had not gotten a job yet and there were discussions about him getting a job that day.

She and Earl were in the kitchen together, and Bailey said at one point, “you can get out of my house.” Earl asked what Bailey said and Bailey repeated it.

She said she heard a thump and Bailey said, “you done hit me.”

She testified she left the kitchen and said, “oh no, this is not going to happen here.”

Earl’s mother said Earl hit Bailey in the face and then she got in between them.

Earl tried to get his mother out of the way and struck Bailey again. She got in the way again and both she and Bailey fell.

Vance said Bailey had asked Earl to get a job, so he hit his stepfather. He added the evidence will show Earl wanted to hurt Bailey more.

Vance said he then made a conscious decision to go from using his fist to a wooden cane right on top of Bailey’s head.

Earl’s mother asked him to leave, to which Earl said, “I don’t have any money.” She had to give him money to leave, Vance said.

Bailey, who did not want to get treatment, begrudgingly went to the hospital the next day. There, doctors discovered swelling and a cut on his head, a swollen wrist and cracked bones in his wrist.

“The evidence is going to show that he beat that man so bad that his brain bled. His wife had to make the decision to pull the plug, and Mr. Bailey dies all because of this man here,” Vance said pointing toward Earl.

Vance noted Christmas Day is typically a day that should be full of happiness, but for the Bailey family, it’s the day they lost their dad.

Bailey led a life of service and served in the Vietnam War. He experienced health problems and sometimes walked with a cane. He was also on dialysis treatment, Vance told the jury.

Earl, his stepson, knew Bailey wasn’t in good health, Vance said.