Suspect in Rockville couple slaying faces life in prison
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A Rockville man accused of killing his long-time neighbors - in what's been described as a "horrifically violent" attack pleaded guilty to the crime on Tuesday.
Scott Tomaszewski was charged with breaking into the home of Richard and Julianne Vilardo in May of last year and stabbing them to death. He now faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he's sentenced in November.
The courtroom was packed on Tuesday with more than a hundred people who came to support the son and daughter of the Vilardos - who sat through a very graphic and disturbing hearing in which all of the evidence was presented to the judge.
Tomaszewski sat quietly in a green jail jumpsuit as state's attorney John McCarthy revealed new and surprising details to include the fact that the defendants mother disposed of evidence and the suspect stopped to grab a drink out of the fridge during the assault because his mouth was dry and he was thirsty.
It was supposed to be a day to celebrate---Mother's Day 2015.
Andy and Katie Vilardo were supposed to meet their parents for a meal at a local restaurant but when they didn't show up the two along with Andy's wife, Lindsay drove to the house on ridge drive where they found their parents murdered. Katie called 911.
When police arrived they found Richard in his night clothes dead on the back deck and his wife Julianne dead inside the kitchen. They had both sustained horrific stab wounds. The killer--got in through a window on the side of the house. The screen cut out.
"This attack could not have been more savage." For the first two days police were stumped until they got a tip to check out a recent neighborhood burglary which led them to a pawn shop where they discovered Tomaszewski on video pawning a ring and other items taken from the house.
"This was a man who pre calculated his break in by doing google searches all day long the day before the murder, how do you break into a window? How do you cut a screen? How do you use a credit card to get into a house? That's how he prepared for his attacks on the Vilardos".
Within days detectives tracked Tomaszewski down in Alaska where he was on a cruise with his parents. On him, police said, was a blood covered knife and cash.
"I really just wanted to get up here to say something from the Vilardo family and all of our extended family that was here to help us support us and one of the only reasons we have been able to survive this 17 month nightmare perpetrated by a monster that we have known for most of our lives."
In Tuesday's hearing, state's attorney John McCarthy revealed the defendant wrote notes on Facebook after the attack wishing all of the mommies a happy mother's day and then later commenting on the murders writing how can we not be afraid?
McCarthy also revealed Tomaszewski's mother disposed of evidence after the crime. In a photo taken from the defendants phone investigators realized the pictured machete was also used in the attack but when they filed a second search warrant and went back to the house Tomaszewski's mother told them she had taken to the dump.
"My own personal opinion she knew exactly what it is she found and she got rid of it because she knew it would implicate her son in this killing."
McCarthy says he decided instead of filing charges he would force her to testify against her own son.