On November 2, 2015, four people were found murdered in their home in Pendleton, South Carolina, near Clemson. The bodies of Michael Scott, his wife, Cathy, and their mothers, Barbara Scott and Violet Taylor, were found inside on Refuge Road. At the time, no arrests were made in the case. The murders sent shockwaves through the Upstate, but arrests were later made in the Pendleton quadruple homicide.
Authorities believed the murders occurred after 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 1. Mike worked with the South Carolina Department of Transportation and had sent a text to his boss at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday to alert him that he would be returning to work on that Monday, since he had taken a few days off.
According to Oxygen, “Following the shocking quadruple homicide, investigators found about $67,000 in cash inside Amy and Ross Vilardi’s home, which sat less than 50 yards from the Scott residence. The couple who’d married just one week before the murders claimed it was their life savings and money saved from their pet grooming business, Styles for Miles Pet Spa.”
According to the same Oxygen article, “Hannah Taylor, Amy’s cousin and former employee at the Pendleton-based business, said the couple had been experiencing financial troubles. It was so bad, Taylor claimed, that her paychecks regularly came up short.”
“Every morning, I got there, I would check the voicemails, check the phone calls, and bill collectors were calling and leaving voicemails like you wouldn’t believe,” Taylor said.
A forensic examination was launched into the finances, which reportedly revealed, in 2013, Ross Vilardi received around $25,000 from a military disability settlement. Additionally, the couple collected roughly $17,000 from their pet grooming business, with an additional $5,000 from a tax refund. By early 2014, they had spent an estimated $14,000 on a truck, another $5,800 on a Ford Mustang, and another $15,000 on two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but only raked in $2,700 in income from their business.
It appeared that the motive was financial. A message was sent from Ross to Amy on September 4, 2015, which stated, “Hunny, please don’t spend any more money, we only have $40 left in the business account.”
An October 15, 2015, text message from Amy to Ross said, “at the shop raising hell about the rent.”
Reportedly, on the night of the murders, at 8:36 p.m., Amy Texted Ross, “Everyone is up now and talking hahaha take my car and grab a six-pack.”
Days later, on November 5, 2015, Amy texted Ross, “Hey Babe, we need to go ahead and run.”
Surveillance video was reviewed of Halloween night, when Ross made the beer run. Around 9:38 p.m., cameras caught Ross wearing red ASICS Speedstar sneakers, the same style of shoe that left prints in the blood at the crime scene.
Finally, after eight years, in December 2023, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office announced, “Amy Vilardi, Cathy Scott’s daughter, and her husband, Rosmore ‘Ross’ Vilardi, had been charged with four counts of murder” in the case. They were taken into custody from their home in Columbia and booked into the Anderson County Detention Center.
On February 16, 2024, their bond was denied. They have not been sentenced for the murders.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.