Trial Begins For Lower Providence Man Charged With Sexually Assaulting & Killing Infant

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — Trial began in Montgomery County Court this week in the case of a local man who was arrested in the fall of 2020 and charged with sexually assaulting and killing his 10-month-old daughter.

Austin Stevens, 31, is facing charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and third-degree murder in connection with the death of his infant daughter, Zara Scruggs, in early October 2020.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said Lower Providence Police discovered the baby unresponsive when officers were called to Stevens' apartment back on Oct. 3, 2020.

Frederick Hellman, a forensic pathologist with the Montgomery County Coroner's Office, had performed an autopsy on the infant girl and subsequently determined that she was the victim of a sexual assault and that she also sustained blunt force trauma to the head, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators ultimately determined that Stevens and the young child were the only people in the residence at the time of the 911 call, and that a download of Stevens' cellphone showed he conducted Google searches for nearly an hour before calling the authorities with subjects such as "How do you know if a baby is dead."

Prosecutors began Monday's court proceeding saying that Austin assaulted the infant girl "in secret and in isolation," while a defense attorney says that the state has built their case on nothing but speculation and guesswork, and that Stevens had no motive to kill his daughter, according to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele previously referred to the infant's killing as a "deeply disturbing death at the hands of her father."

Patch previously reported on the case involving Stevens, who was a youth football coach with the Lower Providence Warriors and reportedly has strong ties to the local community.

Patch also subsequently reported on the Lower Providence community rallying around the mother of the baby girl following her death.

Criminal court records show that in addition to the murder charges, Stevens is also facing additional counts including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.

The case is being prosecuted by Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood while Stevens is being represented by attorney Evan J. Kelly.

Court records show that the trial is expected to last about a week.