Pendleton Quadruple Homicide /// Part 2 /// 819

Summary

True Crime Garage Episode Summary: “Pendleton Quadruple Homicide /// Part 2 /// 819”

Introduction to the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide

In episode 819 of True Crime Garage, hosts Nic and the Captain delve deep into the harrowing case of the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide, which shocked Anderson County. This installment, released on February 5, 2025, serves as the second part of the comprehensive examination of this gruesome crime. The episode meticulously dissects the events leading up to the murders, the investigation process, the suspects involved, and the subsequent legal battles. The hosts aim to provide listeners with a clear, detailed understanding of the case, enriched with notable quotes and insightful analysis.

The Crime Scene and Initial Investigation

The episode opens with the tragic discovery of four adults found dead in a home in Pendleton on October 31, 2015. Anderson County coroner Greg Shore describes the incident as a "quadruple homicide" (04:01). Unlike a murder-suicide scenario, investigators believe the victims had no time to defend themselves, indicating a sudden and ruthless attack.

Relatives, such as Tony Cedron, a 7News reporter, express their disbelief and emotional turmoil: “I keep feeling like I should be waking up from a dream right now, and it’s just not happening. So, yeah, it’s like a movie or something. It’s not supposed to be real life” (03:35). The victims included Mike Scott, his wife Kathy Scott, and their mothers, Barbara Scott and Violet Taylor.

Amy Velardi, the daughter of Kathy Scott, recounts her discovery of the scene: “I went to knock on the door, and I walked in. It was dark. I heard TVs on, and I flip the light on, and that's about as far as I can go on that one” (04:28). The family, initially kept out of the loop, were left waiting for answers as investigators worked tirelessly to solve the case (04:45).

The Velardi Family and Potential Motives

As the investigation unfolded, attention turned to Amy and Ross Velardi, residents living on the property where the murders occurred. The Velardis had a fraught relationship with the Scotts, characterized by familial tension and unresolved conflicts. Nic raises critical questions about the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Velardis: “If you are considered an armchair detective, you’re in the right place, and you’re amongst friends” ([Original Promise to use content)].

A pivotal moment in the case was when investigators discovered a significant sum of cash in the Velardis' trailer—approximately $65,000 to $68,000 (32:52). This amount contrasted sharply with their purported financial struggles, including impending car repossessions and threats to their business. The presence of such a large sum raised red flags about possible motives rooted in greed.

Uncovering the Evidence

Detectives Gene Culbertson and Tracy Call, leading the homicide investigation, emphasized their unwavering commitment to solving the case: “There hasn't been a day we haven't worked on it” (05:16). They reviewed the evidence repeatedly, expressing optimism about uncovering the truth and delivering justice to the victims and their families.

Key pieces of evidence included:

1. Large Sums of Cash: The discovery of significant cash in the Velardis' trailer, organized in a manner identical to how Mike Scott stored his money—by denomination and issue date (32:52). This meticulous organization suggested a direct link between the cash and the victims, undermining Amy Velardi's claims of it being their life savings.

2. Shoeprints with Blood Droplets: Shoeprints at the crime scene matched the type of sneakers owned by Ross Velardi, specifically Asics Gel Speedstar running shoes (33:55). Blood drips on top of these shoeprints indicated they were made during the commission of the murders.

3. Suspicious Alibis: Ross Velardi’s alibi was immediately questionable when surveillance footage showed him purchasing beer at a gas station around 9:30 PM on the night of the murders, contradicting his claim of going to bed at 9 PM (28:11).

4. Destruction of Evidence: Both Amy and Ross Velardi were found to have deliberately destroyed their cell phones and obtained new ones shortly after the murders, raising suspicions about their intent to obstruct the investigation (29:16).

Detective Scott Hill highlighted the improbability that the Velardis were not involved, given the accumulation of evidence pointing directly to them: “[...] the probability is that the murderer was wearing the same shoes as the husband where we found the money in their house, and we can prove that those shoes were present at the time of the murder. It starts to get very slim” (37:09).

Legal Proceedings and Bond Hearing

Following an extensive investigation lasting eight years, the grand jury indicted Amy and Ross Velardi, leading to their arrest in connection with the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide. During a bond hearing in February 2024, both were denied bail due to the severity of the charges and the significant flight risk they posed.

Senior Deputy Assistant D.A. Heather Weiss argued persuasively for denying bond, citing:

• Awareness of Charges: Amy was fully aware of the serious charges against her and could potentially flee to avoid trial.

• Unaccounted Money: The substantial sum of cash found raised fears that the Velardis could use it to escape.

• Potential Danger: Ross’s military background and combat training posed a potential threat to the community if released.

A concerning incident during the bond hearing was reported: “...amy Velardi had a shank, a piece of a metal bed. The cell was tossed and they found two shanks in her room” (08:50). Additionally, a witness reported that Amy made a threatening comment about escaping jail, further justifying the decision to deny bond (08:50).

Investigation Challenges and Civil Suits

The episode also explores the civil lawsuit filed by Amy and Ross Velardi against the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. In May 2016, they sought the return of items impounded as potential evidence, including firearms, electronics, vehicles, and a substantial amount of cash. The Velardis contended that these items lacked evidentiary value and were wrongfully retained without charges being pressed against them.

This legal battle complicated the investigation, as additional family members came forward, disputing the ownership of the seized items. A forensic accountant was brought in to determine rightful ownership, highlighting the intricate web of family dynamics and financial entanglements that clouded the case (08:50).

Analysis and Conclusions by Hosts

Nic and the Captain provide incisive analysis throughout the episode, questioning the motives and actions of the Velardis. They discuss the interplay of familial hatred and greed, considering whether the Velardis orchestrated the murders to inherit the victims’ assets while eliminating obstacles to their happiness.

A pivotal discussion centers around the meticulous organization of cash, identical to the victims’, suggesting a direct connection: “When you take this piece of evidence, and then you add that piece of evidence...all points to two people” (37:09). The hosts argue that the convergence of financial discrepancies, suspicious alibis, and physical evidence overwhelmingly implicates Amy and Ross Velardi.

Furthermore, the hosts examine Ross’s military background, proposing that his combat training enabled the efficient execution of the murders: “Detectives felt that whoever carried this out likely had to have some kind of training” (37:15). This military expertise, combined with the premeditated nature of the crime, underscores the calculated effort behind the homicides.

Legal and Community Impact

The arrest of Amy and Ross Velardi brought a semblance of closure to a case that had left the community in shock for nearly a decade. The legal proceedings highlighted the complexities of prosecuting such a deep-seated familial crime, especially when initial investigations were muddled by civil disputes over evidence.

Nic reflects on the broader implications of the case, contemplating the nature of evil and human capacity for such heinous acts: “We often hear people say, money is the root of all evil. And I've heard at least one person correct the room and say, no, the root of all evil is no money” (40:20). This philosophical musings add depth to the discussion, prompting listeners to ponder the motivations behind such brutal crimes.

Conclusion: Justice and Reflection

As the episode concludes, Nic and the Captain reflect on the resolution of the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide case. After eight years of relentless investigation, Amy and Ross Velardi’s arrest marks a significant milestone in seeking justice for the victims. Nic poignantly summarizes the grim reality: “This entire thing was planned down to the date and time” (40:34), emphasizing the premeditated nature of the crime driven by greed and familial discord.

The hosts acknowledge the unsettling nature of the case, noting that while the evidence points decisively toward the Velardis, some aspects remain difficult to fully comprehend. They highlight the relentless pursuit of truth by law enforcement and the enduring hope for justice, leaving listeners with a profound sense of the case's gravity and the complexities of human behavior.

Notable Quotes:

• Tony Cedron, 7News Reporter: “I keep feeling like I should be waking up from a dream right now, and it’s just not happening. So, yeah, it’s like a movie or something. It’s not supposed to be real life.” (03:35)

• Greg Shore, Anderson County Coroner: “The four victims were Mike Scott, his wife, Kathy Scott, and their mothers, Barbara Scott and Violet Taylor.” (04:12)

• Amy Velardi: “We love you and we forgive you.” (19:04)

• Detective Scott Hill: “We found no signs of any robbery at the scene, but grew suspicious when we learned that Mike often had large sums of cash on hand thanks to a side business where he would pay cash for gold.” (28:11)

• Senior Deputy Assistant D.A. Heather Weiss: “Amy is aware she is facing these charges. We believe if she was ever going to run, it would be now. ... She could use this to flee.” (37:15)

Final Thoughts

Episode 819 of True Crime Garage offers an exhaustive and engaging analysis of the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide, weaving together detailed evidence, expert testimonies, and the hosts' insightful commentary. For listeners new to the case, this summary provides a comprehensive overview of the tragic events, the ensuing investigation, and the quest for justice that spanned nearly a decade. Nic and the Captain succeed in transforming a complex and somber narrative into an accessible and thought-provoking exploration of true crime.

Transcript

[Nick]

Coming to ABC and Hulu, Amanda Riley.

[The Captain]

Was a mother, wife speaker at her church.

[Nick]

And then she got diagnosed with cancer. A beloved young Christian woman fighting a battle undeserved. We thought she was God's gift, but she was a liar.

[The Captain]

Why would somebody fake cancer?

[Nick]

From the number one smash hit podcast.

[The Captain]

It was only a matter of time.

[Nick]

Until Amanda's whole world came tumbling down. You're not gonna believe this. Scamanda. New episodes Thursday nights on ABC and stream on. Welcome to true crime Garage, wherever you are, whatever you're doing. Thanks for listening. I'm your host, Nick. And with me, as always, is a man with a reminder that tomorrow is just an excuse away. Here is the captain.

[The Captain]

It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.

[Nick]

Today we are still enjoying some delicious Silver Shoes stout from Monkle Brewing Company. This is a smooth, smooth coffee flavor that is sweet from the brown sugar. A lot of stouts like to sweeten the ride black sunshine. But this one has a smoky and a touch of earthiness to it. Maybe like you would find in a hearty red wine garage. Grade 4 out of 5 bottle caps. And let's give some thanks and praise to our good friends, our good garage friends for helping us out with this week's shows.

[The Captain]

First up, a big we like your jib to Eric in Kansas City from Joel in Tampa. And a very special we like your jib goes out to Connor in Oakford, Illinois. Cheers, mate.

[Nick]

Shout out to all the Chiefs fans out there. Next up, we have a long distance cheers to Percy Jansen. Listening from the city of Curtiba in Piranha, Brazil, Percy. I hope I got that right. If not, I blame it on the Silver shoe stout. And last but certainly not least, we have Sarah and Lockyer Valley, Australia. Another long distance cheers. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the beer fund. We are forever grateful.

[The Captain]

Yeah. BWR you in beer run. If you're not subscribed to us on YouTube, what are you doing with your life? Get it together, okay? Get it together. Stop messing around. Go to YouTubes and subscribe to True Crime Garage TV and thank me later. And that's enough of the business.

[Nick]

All right, everybody gather round. Grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime. Such a case. Four people found dead in a home. And today we learned this was not a murder suicide. Investigators say the victims didn't have time to fight back against the person who killed them. 7News reporter Tony Cedron talked with relatives tonight.

[Tony Cedron]

I keep feeling like I should be waking up from a dream right now, and it. It's just not happening. So, yeah, it's like a movie or something. It's not supposed to be real life.

[Greg Shore]

Monday afternoon, four adults were found dead inside a home in Pendleton. Anderson county coroner Greg Shore is calling it a quadruple homicide.

[Nick]

Well, it's just tragic and something that we don't see here in Anderson county very often. The last time we had four people killed involving homicide was in 2007, 2008.

[Greg Shore]

The four victims were Mike Scott, his wife, Kathy Scott, and their mothers, Barbara Scott and Violet Taylor. Amy Velardi says her mother Kathy, usually walks her dog in the morning, and when she didn't see her outside Monday morning, she called her house and nobody answered.

[Tony Cedron]

I went to knock on the door, and I walked in. It was dark. I heard TVs on, and I flip the light on, and that's about as far as I can go on that one.

[Greg Shore]

Velardi says her family has been kept out of the loop during the investigation while investigators do everything they can to solve the crime.

[Tony Cedron]

And I understand there again, they've got a job to do.

[Nick]

But.

[Tony Cedron]

Sometimes as family members, we want answers and we just want to know what's going on.

[Greg Shore]

And now that evidence has been collected from the scene, all Velardi and her family can do is wait.

[Nick]

If you were talking directly to the.

[Greg Shore]

Person, do you want to look in the camera and just say exactly what you would say to that person?

[Tony Cedron]

I can't say that on tv. I'm just gonna be honest. I can't say that on TV.

[Greg Shore]

In Pendleton, Tony Cedron, 7News.

[Nick]

In observance of the first anniversary of the quadruple homicide, the independent male sat down with the two detectives leading the the homicide investigation. This is Gene Culbertson and Tracy Call. Quote, there hasn't been a day we haven't worked on it. Call said they reviewed the evidence over and over. They said they remained optimistic that the case would be solved. And they said that there is literally nothing we won't investigate. It's an active investigation. We want nothing more than to give justice to these people. They deserve it. Their family and their grandchildren deserve answers, the detective said. But Cole and Culbertson would not share what they were working on, or at least their working theory regarding the case. They just simply said that evidence was still being processed by sled and it had been submitted in October. It wasn't known what the evidence was that was submitted, and they said that they were waiting on receiving the answers and information Back regarding those tests. But what we end up having here, captain, to kind of make this case even more complex, is a civil suit. So. And actually, this was the sheriff's office that was battling a lawsuit. So In May of 2016, Amy and Ross velardi filed a civil suit against the anderson county sheriff's office to compel them to return all of the items that the sheriff's office had impounded as potential evidence. These were items taken from both homes, the murder house, and the house where the velardis lived in the back of the lot, pursuant to multiple search warrants executed by the sheriff's office. So the list of items that we're talking about is the velardis wanted back were guns, electronics, a 2010 Toyota Tundra and a 2005 Toyota Corolla. They also said that they wanted $87,000 in cash. Now, it's important to note. It's important to note here that this $87,000 in cash was. Was found in the Velardi's trailer, Not the trailer where the murders occurred. So some of these items were taken from the trailer, and some of them were taken from where the velardis lived. The complaint stated that the sheriff's office had completed numerous tests and analysis on the currency, specifically stating that they had found no DNA or other evidence linking the plaintiffs who are requesting this, these items back to any wrongdoing, Stated that the sheriff's office had wrongfully and willfully retained possessions of the property, despite the property lacking any evidentiary value. In other words, found no trace evidence on this stuff. And you haven't pressed charges against us, so give us back our property.

[The Captain]

But one of the problems is when law enforcement was talking to Amy again, this is one of the victim's daughters, lives on the property. So of course they're going to ask her what's going on. Of course she's going to be somebody of interest that they want to talk to. And she also states, well, you know, my. My stepfather, he was known because he would have these. What do you want to call it, Antiques or whatever he was buying. Yeah.

[Nick]

Collectibles, valuables that he was buying and selling and helping others to sell as well.

[The Captain]

Yeah. And so she said, yeah, he was known to have a lot of cash on hand. Right. And so when you think of a lot of cash on hand, I'm thinking, like, I don't know, a couple thousand bucks is a lot of cash on hand. But she was saying, like, this could be like 60,000 or more. So then when they don't Find that in the victim's house and they find that in your house. Well, that's pretty suspicious, don't you think, especially when you have a small business, that there's no evidence that you're doing well enough to have that kind of cash on hand?

[Nick]

Yes. And so that's what I wanted to get into here. Because the first thing that jumped into my mind, look, I. Life can get pretty tough. There's no need to make it tougher on. On people, especially people that had suffered, suffered such a great loss like this. So my first thought was, well, okay, well, maybe this money that. That they found at the Velardi's house, they needed it back because they, they, you know, people need money to pay bills and whatnot. And so perhaps Ross and Amy really needed their money back. But then here's what we get into. It's presumably not to pay any kind of mortgage or rent. They're still living on the Scott property. And here's a bizarre twist, in my opinion, and this is fact. Soon after the murders, they moved in with the kids. They took the kids and they moved into the main house on the property. The one where the shootings had gone down, where the murders took place. Listen to this. This is by November 12th, they had moved into the trailer and they started ripping out the carpet and even replaced the furniture. Now look, everybody's different. I'm certain I certainly have my fair share of weird. Okay, I'm taking a big. I got a big batch of weird in me. But let me toss out a hypothetical to you here, Captain. You are considered one of the great minds of our time, so I want.

[The Captain]

To get your opinion underrated.

[Nick]

Some people would say, let's say you and your family and let's say you're living with your family and you got a couple kids and you live on this property. It's fairly large. But your. One of your relatives, a couple of your relatives and some other people were murdered in another house on that property and they've not found the person that did it. Would you for a second consider moving your children into that home? Like, wouldn't you think, like there. There's a chance this guy or these guys could come back and they're not going to find an empty house this time. They're going to find potential. Four more potential victims.

[The Captain]

Yeah, I believe it was like the. The day of the funeral, the husband of Amy was moving furniture out of the. The main house to sell it or something strange. And then Amy herself wears a weird outfit to the funerals. Like Bright red dress with a big Kentucky Derby style hat. I mean, just some strange things. Again, I don't have you. I don't have a problem. If you want to question law enforcement, don't question them because they're questioning you. I hate when people go, stop looking at us and go find the killers. Okay? There's a process. And so I think they started to have a bunch of red flags. But when you're law enforcement and you show up to a property you don't, there's not a clear motive. And then you find this stack of cash. The investigation or the evidence is pointing you into a direction. And then you go, well, what would the motivation be? The motivation would be money. And then what does that person that you now start going, okay, is it possible that Amy or Amy and her husband are responsible for these murders? And we know that they. They had a feud, a family feud, but on top of that, we have this cash, and then they try to sue the police department. To me, that's more evidence than that. The motivation was not just hatred. It was hatred and money.

[Nick]

Well, word. And if. Look, in their defense, if a sheriff's office had confiscated $80,000 for my home, I would be livid. I would want my money back. Like, at some point. Like, I get it, you have an investigation to do, but I have mouths to feed. You know, I have a situation where I got a family of four. Now let's go back to the situation of family of four, because there's no way in hell I'm moving my children into a murder home where the murder is still unsolved. Especially when it's family members that could have been of mine that could have been targeted. If it's just me, no problems, man, I'll. I'll sit on the front porch every night with a shotgun on my lap and a handgun strapped in my belt and drinking Bud heavies, waiting for the killer to come back so I can get some street justice. No problems there. But we're talking about moving children into. In fact, I wouldn't be able to stay on that property with kids. Now, this lawsuit here is interesting because what it does is it opens up some doors that were previously closed. Because what happens now, this lawsuit, other family members come forward. Keep in mind, there's two people here that. That Amy's not related to by blood. And so there's other family members of these victims that come forward, and they're saying, wait a second, you can sue the sheriff's office over these property items if you want, but and you're the plaintiff. We get that. However, we're other family members and we're here to say that maybe you don't, you're not entitled to those. You can't just assume that all those items were going to go to you, right? And so we end up getting into this squabble over what belonged to who, what personal property belonged to who. And other families get into this lawsuit and they're actually on the opposition, they're on the sheriff's department side. They're saying, look, not all these items belong to Amy and Ross. And this lawsuit ends up dragging on for about five years time. And it got really ugly. So they bring in this forensic accountant, had to be employed to make heads or tails of who actually owned the money in all of the bank accounts. Not just what was, you know, on the properties, but also who would legally inherit any of this stuff.

[The Captain]

One, let me put out a scenario for you. It is also in the realm of possibility that this family is murdered. The daughter that has a feud with her mother and her stepfather goes in the house, sees this violent carnage and decides, well, I'm just going to take this money before anybody shows up.

[Nick]

Oh, yeah, that's a possibility. I mean, she's the one that found them dead. You could have, let's say the money they found in her trailer did belong to her mother and stepdad or even two of her grandmother and the other grandmother. But there would be an opportunity where that she could have found them dead and not been responsible for the murders, but still took the money, saw an opportunity. Right? To put it kind of blunt and disgusting, but. So now let's go to January 2017, because here's another shift in the investigation. This is when a new sheriff came into play. And this is. Sheriff Chad McBride was elected. He took office and took up the investigation. And there was a. He started making a conference, this is a press conference, made comments at this press conference on the second anniversary of the murders in November of 2017. And he said something that had never been said before to the media. He said his investigators had identified who we believe are the suspects. Now, they weren't ready to make any arrest is what he said. And he also said, we will not be announcing or saying the names of the suspects, but keep in mind we're getting some clues here, right? Suspects were plural. So that tells us the sheriff's office believe that at least two people are responsible for these murders. He also said that they are submitting new evidence, additional evidence to labs for testing. And we're still waiting for answers on that analysis to come back. When it does, we will hopefully be able to move forward with this case. At that same press conference, we have Pam. Remember, Pam, this is Mike's sister. Her mother was also killed in that trailer. She has some statements for the media, and this was her statement, quote, this was not a random act of violence. We believe our family members were targeted and murdered out of hatred and greed. God has given us the last two years to grieve and to heal, but we still need closure, end of quote. And then she seemed to be speaking directly to the killers. And this is strange but intriguing. She says, quote, we love you and we forgive you.

[The Captain]

Sounds like she's talking directly to somebody.

[Nick]

Yes. Yes. And it almost sounds like we don't know what conversations were had between the sheriff's office and some of this extended family or what information was passed on from the new sheriff to Amy and Ross. But it sounds like maybe even independently of one another, Pam, the relative and the sheriff's office have arrived at their own idea or theory of who the suspects should be, whether they. Whether it's a shared opinion or not.

[The Captain]

Well, let's just back up a second. We have to remember that Amy was basically saying law enforcement owes it to us to inform us on every movement they're making. And so when they weren't giving her all this information, she was pissed off and run into the media about it. And then when you're not going to give me back my stuff that you took, we're going to sue you again. This is just not looking good.

[Nick]

I don't want to get into the minutia of a lot of this lawsuit because it's rather complicated what we're talking about here. The short of it, Captain, would be that not just the money and the property items that were confiscated from the Scott property shortly after the murders pursuant to those search warrants, but there were also parts of this lawsuit that were trying. They were trying to sort through with bank accounts. Okay. There were large sums of money in bank accounts, and some of it had been given to the Scots while they were still alive. Like, hey, you know, Grandma A and Grandma B have a good amount of money in their bank accounts. Let's give this over to a joint account so it can be used to take care of me especially, you know, you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you got a bunch of money in the bank and you get too old to take care of yourself and your loved one who's trying to take care of you can't get to your money that is needed for your health care, for your well being, for room and board, all kinds of things. Right. They have to jump through hoops sometimes to get to that money. If you get to a situation where you can't take care of yourself or, or make withdrawals or write checks for yourself. So at some point the grandmothers decide that we're going to get make these bank accounts, either joint bank accounts or just straight up give some of the money to Michael and Kathy so they can take care of us. So they had to sort through all of that. Now what ends up happening is we don't get to sort through a lot of that. It doesn't sound like there was a great determination on who gets what before this happens. We end up getting some arrest in the case. So police worked this case for eight years, doggedly amassing evidence and building their case. By 2023, Anderson County Sheriff's Detective Scott Hill was in charge of the investigation. Now this was reported on Inside Edition. Hill spoke at length on the Unsolved Mysteries podcast in March of 2023. Now on that podcast, quote, Hill said that detectives found no signs of any robbery at the scene, but grew suspicious when they learned that Mike often had large sums of cash on hand thanks to a side business where he would pay cash for gold. Detectives also learned that no one other than family members knew about Mike having these large sums of cash, said Hill. Then, when detectives obtained a search warrant for Amy and Ross's trailer, they made a surprising discovery. According to Hill. We found a little over $65,000, almost $68,000, and a safe in the master bedroom of the single wide, said Hill. That cash immediately raised questions for Hill and the other detectives. We were told by various family members and confirmed through interviews that Amy and Ross were in financial trouble. Their cars were about to be repossessed. They were about to be kicked out of the building they rented for their business. So it was pretty surprising to find that amount of money when they were having financial issues. The family had to have known their killers because nobody put up a fight until after the attack started. One week later, after all of this, the Anderson County Sheriff's Office announced that Amy and her husband were persons of interest in the quadruple homicide case, and this would later lead to their arrest.

[The Captain]

All right, we are back. Tall cans in the air Raise them.

[Nick]

High, raise them high.

[The Captain]

Yeah, I just. There was always something when you go back and you watch these interviews with Amy, there's just something that seems off.

[Nick]

I hate to do this. I hate to be the judge, a book by its cover kind of guy, but she's one of those people that as soon as I saw her and watched her talk about the case, she gave me a bad, uneasy feeling. Yeah, there just was something off about. I don't know, it was partly her demeanor, partly her words. I don't know. There was just something that was off and. And I think a lot. I think there's other people out there, garage friends, that would agree with some of those statements. Now, very early on in the case, you. You had asked about search warrants on the first episode, and they executed. The sheriff's office executed numerous search warrants at the Velardi's home. This was on November 2nd, so the day that the bodies were discovered. And then again on the 4th and then again on the 11th of November. They searched a storage unit owned or rented by Ross in Anderson County. Search warrants state the male victim, Mike, in the residence is known to deal in gold jewelry and usually has large sums of cash. According to neighbors, they believe that a search warrant of the Velardi's residence will yield evidence pertinent to this investigation. Okay, Captain. The seized items include. We later find out what the seized items were. Two dozen firearms and ammunition, knives, a camera from the front porch, four shotgun residue kits, a wallet containing ID belonging to someone named James Harris. We don't. We don't know who this person is. Cash, two gold testing kits, a laptop, 20 plus phones and a video game console. Or video game consoles, Two vehicles, a bag of yellow metal jewelry and a bag of yellow metal watches. Now, none of the guns that were collected by the sheriff's office matched the ballistics of the gun used to shoot the four victims.

[The Captain]

Well, no, because that'd be too easy.

[Nick]

Yes. The arrest warrants for Amy and Ross specified that the murders took place on or about Halloween, October 31, 2015. That would be that Saturday. The state's theory of the case is as follows. Amy and her mother did not get along. The schism in the family, which finally boiled over on the fourth of July, had been brewing long before Amy posted nasty things about her mother and Mike, her stepfather, online and refused to let them and the grandmothers see the kids. But then, right before the murders, Amy seemed to have a sudden change of heart. Amy told investigators that she and her mother had made up, saying that she contacted her mom and. And said she would bring the kids over to celebrate Halloween. A day before the murders, Kathy, her mother, posted on Facebook a message saying Everything looking better, prayers answered. The state's theory of the case was that this was designed to ensure that all four victims, Mike, Kathy, Violet and Barbara would be home that evening.

[The Captain]

Well, because if you just get rid of your mother and you get rid of your stepfather, you still have the grandparents or the grandmothers that need a place to live. So you're not, you're, you're not going to be able to steal the cash because they'll know about the cash. You're not going to get whatever items in the double wide that you can sell. You're not going to probably get the double wide, you know, so everybody has to go.

[Nick]

Well, and go back to our timeline that we discussed in part one, the kids were not actually around at all. Amy's kids had been placed with Ross's parents for the previous week so the couple could enjoy their newlywed week. They didn't pick up the kids until Sunday. The family of four is murdered on Saturday. Amy's mom is posting on Facebook, everything looking better. Prayers answered. The prayers that she was praying was that she could see her grandkids. Yeah, Amy was going to bring them over on Saturday night. She couldn't bring them over Saturday night. They were an hour and a half away at Ross's parents home.

[The Captain]

So it doesn't line up. Yeah.

[Nick]

Her promise to her mother that they could see the kids on Halloween was a lie. A ruse to get access to the house and all of the necessary victims. Now, Amy originally told investigators that she last saw the victims on Halloween night around 8pm Ross told the police that he had gone to bed at 9pm that Saturday night. But police found surveillance footage of Ross buying beer at a gas station around 9:30pm Saturday night. Okay, well, maybe he got his, his time wrong. But still you, you're being asked this two days later. You think that you would remember going to the gas station and buying beer at 9:30 on that Saturday? Amy originally told investigators that on that Sunday morning she and Ross left at 5am to drive to Blythewood to get the kids. What police learn, what the sheriff's office learns, is that while on that trip, the Velardis decided to get rid of their cell phones and get new ones. Also, Amy said that she had left a message on her mom's home answering machine when she called that Monday to check on them. No such message was ever found. And then remember the shoes we talked about? The distinct Asics gel speed star running shoe prints left at the crime scene in blood with blood drips on top of them. Ross Velardi admitted that he owned that type of sneakers but couldn't produce them. Nobody could find these shoes. And then, of course, there's that large sum of money from the Velardi's trailer. And you know what's interesting too here, captain, is we criticize these. These security cameras an awful lot. On this camera at the gas station where Ross went to go pick up the beer, he's wearing those asic gel speedstar running shoes. So he had those on that night, the night that the prints were left at the murder scene. He's wearing them buying beer. And then two days later, three days later, when they're talking to him about these shoes, they're. They've magically disappeared. This is some damning shit right here. One of the most notable aspects of the recovered cash, okay, this is the cash that they took out of Amy Velardi's trailer was the manner in which the money was organized. Ms. Velardi claimed that she had been saving this money for years. Right? She. She claimed that her and Ross had been saving up this money, and it was their life savings. Their life savings. However, officers were able to match the manner in which the money was organized to that of one of the victims. Mike Scott was apparently known to maintain his cash grouped and wrapped by denomination and issue date. Right. You know, there's a date when the. The money was printed. He's stacking it. Fives, tens. This stack is all 20s, this stack is all 50s. This stack is all 1/ hundreds. And, oh, but he stacks them in order of the issue date as well. This is an incredibly unusual habit. And I think it's probably safe to say that 95, 97, maybe 99% of the people walking the planet do not store their cash in this manner. That's the exact same way that they found the bundles of bills in Amy Velardi's home safe. That's how they were grouped together.

[The Captain]

Yeah, that's a big red flag. And so much of this case doesn't make any sense. Again, going after law enforcement to give us information. Well, it makes sense if you're the one that committed the crime. You want to know what law enforcement knows? Are they on to you, or are they not on to you? But also, like, when they ask her, well, did your stepfather have any cash on him? Why didn't she just lie? Because she could have said, nah, he never really had cash on him. Even if other family members came forward and said, no, he had cash on him because he would buy, sell, and trade. And he'd also collect gold and turn it into. Have it melded down, turn it into money. But you could then just go, well, that's hearsay. That's what they think. But I was closer to my parents. I would know this. And also you're the one that finds the bodies. You would think that you would have seen these shoe prints and then told your husband, hey, you might want to get rid of these shoes because those are a unique shoe.

[Nick]

This is crazy. So just two days before Mike was murdered in his home. So he must have sold something for a friend, a co worker, because this is October 29th, remember? Now we're learning that everybody believes the murders took place October 31st. On the 29th, Mike sent a message to a co worker. The message contained a photo of $100 bills saying, quote, you're in the money. So this must mean like, hey, I sold your item or items for you. Here's your cash. It was from this photo. In the photo, police could see the serial numbers on the bills. That money with the same exact serial numbers turned up in the Velardi's home on the day after the bodies were found.

[The Captain]

Oh God. That's the definition of caught red handed. Right again though. But if you're law enforcement, you have to go. Is it possible that they found the family and then they. Then they took the money? But I guarantee you law enforcement was smart enough to say, so you found the body. Did anybody else go in the house with you? Because if the answer is no, I'm the only one that went into the house. Then why are your husband's footprints bloody.

[Nick]

Footprints found shoe prints and shoe prints with blood drops on top of them. So the right. Why I keep pointing that out is that is evidence that those shoe prints were. Were made during the commission of the murders. Meaning here's what happened. All right? He's chasing. He's already stabbed some people. There's blood already on the floors of that home. He's racing through the home either a to get to the other victim that was found in the bedroom and or to flee the home after everybody's dead. The reason why you see blood droplets on top of his bloody shoe prints is that the. The knife that was used, the hunting or military style knife that was used to murder these people was still dripping blood on top of those shoe prints. So I get it. There's a. There's a lot of ways that you could leave the door open that they didn't commit the murders. But it's. It's when you take this piece of evidence. And then you add that piece of evidence, and then you add this piece of evidence, and then you add another piece of evidence. When you start adding that all up, it builds a mountain of evidence that all points to two people. It's conceivable that they didn't murder them. It's conceivable that they even took the cash and the safe from the home and didn't murder these people. Now, let me ask you, what do you think the probability is that the murderer was wearing the same shoes as the husband where we found the money in their house, and we can prove that those shoes were present at the time of the murder? It starts to get very slim. The chances of them not being the ones that committed it.

[The Captain]

Well, and also, their alibi doesn't check out. Their whereabouts don't check out.

[Nick]

The kids weren't where they said they would be. They ditched their cell phones. Right.

[The Captain]

Doesn't her husband also have a military background?

[Nick]

You nailed it, my friend. So, look, this whole thing was. Was planned. Not just planned. It was planned down to the date and time. Now, how did they carry it out? Well, the investigators from the hit Oxygen TV show, the True crime Show, they were invited to consult with investigators from the sheriff's Office on these two episodes. Here's one thing that we learned. The Sheriff McBride and one of the detectives, they were all considering this. They felt that a. That whoever carried this out likely had to have some kind of training. Okay. And here's what they're saying. The captain, Wayne Mills from the sheriff's office, he's a former marine. He felt that the victim's throats being cut very lethally, inefficiently, was perhaps the mark of a military suspect. Quote, I believe with the expertise that took place, I believe it was someone very comfortable with an edged weapon. Mills told Cold Justice. He goes on to say a marine fits that category. This was someone who took some training and had some background in this type of situation and obviously was very personally related to the victims, end quote. Mills pointed out that marines were trained to deal with more than one subject at a time as well. Ross Velardi was a decorated U.S. marine special with specialized training in combat, needed to guard embassies around the world. So to expand on this theory a bit, it's likely that Amy used her powers of persuasion, the kids, to gather all the victims together in the same house at the same time. Now she's in there in the living room with the four victims. Ross is sitting on the couch, presumably next to Mike and out of nowhere, Ross initiated the attack before any of the victims knew what the hell was going on. And he very quickly carried out these murders.

[The Captain]

And for what?

[Nick]

Greed, my friend.

[The Captain]

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Hey, let's kill him. We'd get the money. Plus, we don't get along with them anyways. Or is it, well, they're not in our lives. We don't get along with them anyways. Let's get rid of them and at least we get something out of it.

[Nick]

Well, and one thing that I heard someone say years ago, and it's always stuck with me, and I think it. I think it plays a factor here in this case, both parts of this statement. You know, you often hear people say, money is the root of all evil. And I've heard at least one person correct the room and say, no, the root of all evil is no money. Having no money.

[The Captain]

Right.

[Nick]

And so you have these two broke individuals where their lives are falling apart, and they have this nest egg that's sitting right in their front yard. The only thing you have to do is be willing to kill four people for it.

[The Captain]

Yeah. And we. We don't know what his background. If he was in a situation when he was in the service, was he in situations where he had to take somebody else's life and he just thought, well, done it before, just for different reasons.

[Nick]

So after they were indicted by the grand jury, after the. All this evidence was presented and they find probable cause to make the arrest, we end up having this bond hearing where both of them move to be released on bond. Right. Pending their trial. So they would be. They would be sent home and await trial, and then they would go to trial. Well, February of last year, in 2024, was the bond hearing, and Amy and Ross were each there wearing jail jumpsuits and shackles as they faced Judge Heath Taylor. Senior deputy assistant D. A. Heather Weiss argued on behalf of the state that Amy and Ross should not be. You write, we should deny bond. So first she goes into this and reviews the evidence for the judge and then the reasons that bond should be denied. Her presentation and argument included, in part, the following. She says Amy is aware she is facing these charges. We believe if she was ever going to run, it would be now. We don't know where any of the money is. She's saying, there's still money out there that we can't account for. It could be in cash. She could use this to flee. So the prosecution basically felt strongly that the couple posed a substantial flight risk and that they had the means to abscond to another country, even using assets they drained from the murder victim's estate. Plus, several surviving family members of the Scotts and Violet Taylor professed in court their fear if Amy and Ross were to be let out and await trial. Remember, Ross Velardi was trained in significant hand to hand combat in the marines. And Amy's family was murdered in an intimate fashion. Could the family suffer violent repercussions because of the arrest? Should this couple be released on bond? And then the assistant DA dropped this bomb at the bond hearing. When I got here today, I found a report from the sheriff's office. It stated that last night the guard at the jail learned from another inmate that Amy Velardi had a shank, a piece of a metal bed. The cell was tossed and they found two shanks in her room. A witness said Amy made a comment that she was going to get out of jail one way or another. So the state has significant concerns about danger to the community and flight risk posed by the Velardes. I guess the argument for allowing bond for the Velardis was that the defense did not agree with the state's evidence. Obviously they never do. They did point out a few interesting angles to it. One being that there didn't seem to be a whole lot. This case struck on for eight years before an arrest was made. They didn't seem to have a whole lot of new evidence. Right. They had evidence that had been collected early in the investigation. So they're questioning if there was enough evidence for the arrest in the. In the first place. But then also stating this case drug on for eight years and these two never took off prior. And you're spot on here, captain. The, the judge, Judge Taylor agreed and denied the bond. And simply put, it, it's because of the heinous nature of the offenses charged in this case. Right. Like if, if there's enough evidence to arrest these two on this kind of case, this kind of violent, horrific, heinous case, then these two are not going to be allowed to just run around and roam freely while they await their trial. Which necessarily isn't going to happen tomorrow or next week or the. Or next month. We've seen plenty of times where it takes a year, two years, five years to get to a trial of this magnitude.

[The Captain]

With the amount of episodes we've done, it seems like nothing should shock us or nothing should surprise us anymore. But these vicious murders. Shocking. But what's also shocking, and I guess we'll never. I'll never be able to Wrap my head around is you go, for what? You killed these innocent people for what, because you had a feud with them? Is that the reason? Or was money the reason? You know, and you go, okay, 60 to $80,000. Was that really going to change anything? It might change your life, get you out of some hole you got yourself into, but chances are you're just going to get back into that same hole, and you can never undo what you did. And I bet there's no communication of this. There's no evidence of this. But it's very possible that they, at some point, ask for some monetary help. But she didn't seem to be that appreciative of what her mother was doing for her, what her mother was doing for her kids and what the stepdad was doing for her and what the stepdad was doing for her kids. It's crazy. And I thought, too, once they made an arrest, that one of the two, whether it's Amy or her husband, would kind of go, well, actually, I didn't want to do this. They put me up to it. But it's just none of this makes sense.

[Nick]

Well, and one thing that I often have to remind myself of when reviewing these cases, doing the research, putting it together, the stories, it's called Psycho for a reason. Yeah, we're not going to understand some of this. We're. We're not capable of understanding some of this. And that's what separates us from them. So after eight years, Kathy, Mike and Barbara Scott and Violet Taylor are finally seeing some justice for what has to be one of the more vicious and brutal crimes we have covered. Assuming all of the evidence we have reviewed against Amy and Ross Velardi is true, well, then the two planned the execution of these four people, some of whom were flesh and blood of Amy's people, who were her children's grandparents and great grandparents. The whole point of the taking of four innocent people's lives was to at once enrich themselves and rid themselves of the obstacles to their happiness. Amy's family, the people who allowed her to live on their land and took care of her children. As the prosecutor said, Amy seemed to be the driving force behind the evil plot. Although she was constantly accusing her mother of being a narcissist, Amy is the one who believes that the world owes her something, that she is entitled to what belongs to others. She may have gotten away with it for eight years, but she's finally got what was coming to her. South Carolina recently resumed executions under its capital punishment law, and the Supreme Court there recently ruled the executions by firing squad and a electric chair are on the table. So good luck. Amy.

[The Captain]

I want to thank everybody for joining us here in the garage each and every week, same bat time, same bat channel. Thanks for telling your mother. Thanks for telling your brother. Colonel, do we have any recommended reading for this week?

[Nick]

This might start off sounding a little strange, but bear with us here. Right garage friends, bear with us. So this week our recommendation is to visit our webpage and consider making a donation, small or whatever, in any way that you can help to the Beer fund. And here's what we'd like to do. All money raised by the Beer Fund for the month of February. The garage is going to donate to Keeping Our Girls Safe organization. We've talked about them before. It's a organization that advocates for, educates, equips and empowers young women so that they are not victims of violent crime. We've talked about the website in the past. It's k o g safe.com keep our girls safe. And this month we will be donating all the beer fund money to kogsafe.com this organization was unfortunately, should never have been right, should never have happened. But because of the taking of a young woman's life. This was Sierra Jogan. She went for a bicycle ride in northwest Ohio. She was kidnapped less than 500ft from her home and it was later learned that she had been murdered by a previously convicted violent offender. A man that should have never been out on the streets to begin with. And think about that, how close she was to her home. She was just out riding her bicycle when this man took her. Keep Our Girls Safe has come up with some great ways to keep young women safe. They even provide self defense classes at no cost to young women. They also designed a angel in disguise self defense keychain. And what we're going to do here is three persons that donate to the beer Fund this month at random. We'll pick three people at random and we're going to send out a Keep Our Girl Safe safety packet to each of these three, which includes a door alarm and window alarm, a seat belt cutter and window breaker for your car and a self defense keychain amongst some other items. And you know what will include a signed copy of the Delphi Murders book as well to go along with that. So help us help out the garage. We want to help out these good people who have suffered and put together this fantastic organization that is trying to empower young women and women of all ages to be able to defend themselves and get away from these, these perpetrators that unfortunately do exist. So to make a donation to the beer fund, you just go to true crime gar.com and click on the pint glass. And we want to thank you in advance for all of your help and, and a big thank you to anybody that has contributed to the beer fund in the past.

[The Captain]

God bless and for everything. True crime. Check out true crimegarage.com and until next week, be good, be kind, and don't.

[Nick]

Sa.