Scott Dyleski
Scott Dyleski | |
---|---|
Born | Scott Edgar Dyleski October 30, 1988 Incarcerated in Salinas Valley State Prison |
Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (25 years to life) |
Scott Edgar Dyleski (born October 30, 1988) is an American murderer, convicted of murdering his neighbor, Pamela Vitale, the wife of prominent
Background
Dyleski was born in
Murder
On October 15, 2005, Dyleski's neighbor Pamela Vitale was found murdered in her home. She was found lying in the entryway just inside the front door and had been
Trial
Initially, Dyleski was represented by attorney Thomas McKenna. He later asked to be removed from the case, because he defended the driver of a car that killed Dyleski's sister and another passenger in 2002. Dyleski was then represented by Ellen Leonida, a public defender.[2] Dyleski pleaded not guilty.
Investigators believe Dyleski and his friend, Robin Croen, planned to grow
Authorities believe Dyleski was surprised by Vitale during a burglary of her home. However, Dyleski's girlfriend, Jena Reddy testified at trial that Dyleski had talked about beating and breaking the necks of children and was curious about how the human body would function without certain organs.[5] They said he killed Vitale by striking her numerous times in the head, possibly with a rock, and then carved a symbol into her back. During the trial, prosecutor Harold Jewett tried to establish that the symbol found on the victim's back closely resembled the letter "H" in the word "hate" from a bumper sticker reading "I'm for the separation of Church and Hate", which was seized from Dyleski's bedroom.[3] The coroner's autopsy report describes the marks on Vitale's back as an "H-shaped figure cut into skin of posterior torso"[6] and "3 intersecting superficial incisions... forming an H-shaped pattern with extension".[7] Other reports indicate that the symbol was a Cross of Lorraine.[8][9]
At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, judge Mary Ann O'Malley ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence for trial. Dyleski was arraigned on an additional charge of first-degree residential burglary and he entered a new plea of not guilty to all the charges. His mother was accused of helping her son destroy evidence, but the charge was dropped under the condition that she testify truthfully.[2] Burglary was not presented as a motive during the trial and, in fact, it was stated that nothing had been taken. At trial, Daniel Horowitz said he had never gone through his wife's financial records to see if anything was amiss.
Jury selection began in July 2006 in the courtroom of judge Barbara Zuniga, who became the trial judge after defense attorney Ellen Leonida made a peremptory challenge against judge Mary Ann O'Malley on the grounds that the jurist was "prejudiced against the interest of the defendant". Attorneys provided contrasting views of Dyleski in their opening statements. Prosecutor Harold Jewett said Dyleski identified with gothic symbols and art that depicted violence and stabbed and beat Vitale. Leonida described her client as a gentle kid whose friends know he is not a killer and instead valued human and animal rights.[10]
During the trial, the Nickelodeon animated television series Invader Zim was cited. The prosecution asserted that the defendant had a fascination with images of body parts. They drew attention to comments he had made after watching the episode "Dark Harvest", in which the alien Zim collects human organs in an attempt to appear more human. Witnesses for the defense said that the comments were made in jest.[11]
At the end of August attorneys gave closing arguments, capping several weeks of testimony. The prosecutor called to the stand Dyleski's housemates, mother, girlfriend, friend, a forensic pathologist, a DNA expert and several
Verdict
Scott Dyleski was found guilty of all the charges against him: first-degree murder, the special circumstance of murder in the commission of a first-degree residential burglary, first-degree residential burglary and an enhancement for using a dangerous weapon to bludgeon Vitale. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was held in juvenile hall until his 18th birthday on October 30, 2006 (about one month after sentencing) and was then transferred to
Even though Dyleski was originally sentenced to life without parole, in 2018 Dyleski's sentence was reduced to 25 years to life in prison after the state of California passed Senate Bill 394, which bill gives juveniles tried as adults and sentenced to life without parole a chance for eventual freedom. He will be eligible for parole in 2030.[1]
References
- ^ a b Gartrell, Nate (30 August 2018). "Notorious East Bay murderer becomes eligible for parole". East Bay Times. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Accused Killer's Mother Arrested In Vitale Case", NBC11.com, October 28, 2005
- ^ a b Lee, Henry K. (2006-08-22). "Prosecutor: Vitale unintended target". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Dyleski Justices Opinion Direct Appeal A115725". Google Docs. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "Girlfriend: Dyleski talked about torturing children". 4 August 2006.
- ^ courttv.com, "Pamela Vitale's Autopsy and Toxicology Reports", page 6.
- ^ courttv.com "Pamela Vitale's Autopsy and Toxicology Reports", page 8.
- ^ Pitzl-Waters, Jason (2006-07-23). "Are You Involved in Wicca or Goth?". The Wild Hunt. Wild Hunt, Inc. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ Grace, Nancy (2005-10-21). "16-Year-Old Accused of Killing Pamela Vitale Arraigned". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ Lee, Henry K. (2006-08-23). "MARTINEZ / Clash of details as Dyleski case heads to jury". The San Francisco Chronicle.
- San Francisco Gate. Archivedfrom the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ^ "Justices refuse to ungag Gloria Allred", CNN.com, October 2, 2006
- ^ Dearen, Jason. Oakland Tribune, 16 August 2006 DNA Mix Traced To Victim and Dyleski. Accessed 31 December 2007.
- ^ KGO San Francisco (ABC 7). "Dyleski Trial: References To Serial Killers". Accessed 31 December 2007
- ^ KGO San Francisco (ABC 7). "Dyleski Trial: DNA Found On Clothing" Accessed 31 December 2007.
- ^ "Morbid to-do list detailed in court". East Bay Times. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "Court Opinion" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-13.
Exhibits to petition
External links
- boards.crimelibrary.com/showthread.php Crime Library discussion topic about the case of Scott Dyleski
- Court Documents: Superior Court Contra Costa - from archive.org, original links are no longer active