The Misery Machine - The Case of Scott Dyleski & Pamela Vitale

Starting point is 00:00:00 Pamela Vatale was born on January 11, 1953 at Shepard Field Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, to U.S. Air Force Sergeant Vern B. Ludga, an accomplished pianist, and pianist, and artist. Pamela had long, dark hair, and a radiant smile that warmed hearts. Family and friends said they were inspired by her loyalty, integrity, and strength of character, and that her love and tenderness touched every one of their souls. Pamel grew up with her younger sister Tamara in New Hope, Minnesota, where she attended Meadow Lake Elementary School in Hosterman Junior High School. She was an extremely bright child starting piano at age four and winning numerous date competitions. At age seven, she performed in youth concerts at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, and in high school she played the flute, piccolo, and oboe in the marching bands. Pamela was a straight-a student and was selected for accelerated academic programs that let her graduate early. In 1970, she studied at Mancato State College as a pre-med student.

Starting point is 00:01:05 While Pamela's love of music continued throughout her life, she also had a passion for travel. She loved it so much that she gave up her plans to become a doctor and took a job as a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines based in London, England. During her travels, she learned flamenco dancing and had a skydive. She later quit her job and became a computer network executive. Pamela married her first husband, Mario Vitale, in the early 1970s. They had two children together, Mario A. Vitale Jr. and Marissa A. Vitale. Pamela and her husband Mario divorced shortly after the birth of their daughter. In 1978, Pamela and her two young children moved to California. There, she worked in Hollywood as an independent movie producer after having

Starting point is 00:01:45 attended film school at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1993, Pamela moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and met prominent defense attorney Daniel Horowitz, who had written a screenplay about one of his cases and wanted to turn it into a movie. Recalling their first meeting, Daniel noted she was interested in reading my script, but once I met her, I felt completely in love and no longer cared about the script. Pamela and Daniel got married within a few years after their first meeting. In the late 1990s, Pamela was employed at Pacific Bell before later becoming an executive at Informix. When the company was sold, Pamela took her severance pay and began working in her husband's law firm maintaining databases. The couple lived at 1901 Hunsacker

Starting point is 00:02:27 Canyon Road in Lafayette, California, a a city known for its high quality of life and low crime rates. In 2005, Pamela and Daniel were in the process of building a house and living in a mobile home on the property. Scott Edgar Dilesky was born on October 30th, 1988 in San Francisco, California. Its parents, Esther Fielding, and Kenneth Doleski. The couple separated when Scott was just two years old, and his mother was granted full custody of them. Esther remarried a few years later. Scott's stepfather would mistreat him for years before Esther filed for.

Starting point is 00:03:00 for divorce when he was nine. Scott's father also remarried, and Scott gained a half-sister, but rarely saw her or his dad. Kenneth Doleski was described as self-centered and unaffectionate toward his son and made little effort to have any kind of relationship with him. Scott and his mom moved a lot, living in multiple areas of Northern California before finally moving to 1050 Hunsacker Canyon Road in Lafayette in 1999. The two of them camped outdoors on the property of Esther's friends, Fred and Kim Curiel, and later moved into a small, Vermeastern, infested shack that fright had built for them. The shack had no electricity, plumbing, heating, or running water, and Scott could only shower

Starting point is 00:03:37 once a week in the Curiel home. Esther saw nothing wrong with the conditions she had forced her son to live in, calling it fun and light camping. However, Kenneth Doleski made two reports to Child Protective Services, one December of 1994 for child neglect, and again in April of 1995 for emotional maltreatment. CPS, however, failed to investigate any of these reports. reports, and Kenneth never chased them about them. Now, we're going to talk about Scott's teenage years next, but before we do, I just want to

Starting point is 00:04:09 address that we're simply describing what Scott looked like and what he was into. Scott went through a goth phase and was into Invader Zim, among other things, which sums up a lot of teenagers, especially during this time period. This picture here. This is me when I was Scott's age. I didn't end up doing what Scott eventually did. Take that for what it is worth. According to people who knew him, Scott was once a normal suburban boy who got good grades, liked basketball, and was a member of the Boy Scouts.

Starting point is 00:04:39 However, his personality and demeanor darkened noticeably after his sister was killed in a car accident in 2002 when the driver decided to remove themselves from the earth with her in the passenger seat. After her funeral, Scott's grades dropped to F's. He started wearing all black clothes, black nail polish, and black lips. He reportedly punched a sixth grader who mocked him for his clothes. He also quit the Boy Scouts after his friends shunned him for believing that the 9-11 attacks were government orchestrated. Overall, he described himself as a depressed teenager who lived for, and I can't exactly quote him, but he said he lived for the day that he'd have the courage to remove himself from the earth. Worried for her son's mental health, Esther sent Scott to therapy for six months, but it did nothing for him,

Starting point is 00:05:26 and he only became worse. He started taking random walks in the woods and experimenting with different substances, first trying weed and smoking it weekly for several months. He then used heroin twice a week for two months and tried Coke, MDMA, and LSD a couple of times as well. He also started engaging in BDSM with his girlfriend, Jenna Reddy. After doing this, Scott identified as a satemascist, someone who receives gratification from his own pain and the pain of others. He started talking to Jenna about torturing children he thought were, loud or annoying. He was also curious about how the human body would function without certain organs.

Starting point is 00:06:04 He hung out with friends, he did drugs, drank absinthe, and discussed Jack the Ripper and his disbelief in heaven and hell. We'll be back in just one minute. Please stick around for the following ad. It not only supports the channel, but it also supports charities in our area. This week's episode has been brought to you by Hayday, a farming lifestyle simulator where you can grow your own farming utopia, and nothing bad ever happens. Ever wanted a farm of your own but don't have a green thumb? Well, no worries. Here, you can work your hands in the soil without getting your fingernails dirty.

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Starting point is 00:07:40 The plants really add life to the farm and who doesn't love a chicken balloon? We've partnered with Haiti to offer you my favorite decorations and you'll find many more items to decorate your farm as well. This offer is only available until February 15th, so you'll want to hurry. So what are you waiting? for, download Hayday Today for free and build the farm of your dreams. Thanks and back to the episode. In 2005, Scott dropped out of Acalanus High School and obtained his GED at the age of 16. He then took a job as a baker working from the early hours of the morning until late at night. He also began

Starting point is 00:08:13 studying art at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. Art was something Scott really enjoyed and he made very disturbing artworks and journal entries. One writing was entitled, Live for the kill. The words style gothic hate were written under the title. Other writings used words such as separation, lonely, and set apart. His drawings include a man holding a severed head and a knife with red coloring, a depiction of a face with a mouth stitched up with X's and a drawing containing a razor blade, Slocke and a knife. The latter drawing contained the words just like Jesus Christ, just like fun with knives, just like roses red, just like roses dead. Another drawing depicted a male subject in a long coat with a knife containing the words,

Starting point is 00:08:59 guns don't kill people, I kill people. Another depicted dark figures lying down among flowers with the words before Manson, before Bundy, there was Gein. Some drawings and writings included symbols containing intersecting, horizontal, and vertical lines. While Scott did like art, he didn't see it as a viable way to make money for himself. September 2005, he and a friend, Robin Crone, came up with a plan to be a plan to make money. start a grow operation. The plan was that Robin would research the hydroponics equipment needed, while Scott would steal his neighbor's credit card, order the products, and then grow the

Starting point is 00:09:35 pot plants in his closet. He stole the information by rating mailboxes for credit card bills. Around the same time, Pamela Vitale and her husband Daniel had moved next door in a mobile home while they started construction on their house. On September 17th, Scott stole credit card information from his neighbor, John Halpin, to buy a vaporizer. When it arrived, he brought he brought it to Robin's house where it remained until it was turned into police by Robin's father months later. In early October, Robin and Scott emailed each other about the lighting and hydroponic equipment they would need to grow weed in his closet. Robin warned his friend to keep the amount ordered on each credit card small to avoid detection, to which Scott responded that stealthiness is the number one priority.

Starting point is 00:10:18 On October 12th, Scott stole his neighbor Karen Schneider's credit card information to buy lighting equipment. The next day, Karen reviewed her credit card account online and noticed that there were three charges she had not approved of from the company named specialty lighting. She sent an email to the store owner at 10 p.m. that night, asking what was going on. The owner replied the next morning, saying they had canceled the order due to suspected fraud. They also sent an email to Esther Fielding as Scott had listed her address on the order. That same day, Karen accidentally ran over Scott's dog and the animal had to be put down due to its injuries. Filled with rage that Karen had thwarted his business plans and killed his pet, Scott was determined to make the woman pay.

Starting point is 00:11:01 On the morning of October 15th, 2005, Daniel Horowitz left the house. He was representing his client, Susan Polk, and Orinda woman suspected of fatally stabbing her husband and needing to attend a meeting. Pamela, who was still asleep when David left, was woken up by the sound of someone trying to break in. Scott, who had mistaken Pamela for Karen Schneider, forced his way into her home and immediately began hitting her over the head with a piece of crown molding. He then removed her top and while she was still conscious, started carving the letter H into her bare back.

Starting point is 00:11:33 The symbol was a direct reference to a bumper sticker Scott had which read, I'm for separation of church and hate. He stabbed her in the stomach and left, leaving behind his bloody finger marks and a bloody footprint. When Scott arrived home after fleeing the crime scene, he saw Kim Curiel, smiled broadly and said in a loud voice, I had the most beautiful walk this morning. Kim noticed that Scott's hands were shaking and he had scratches on his nose that were bleeding profusely. When asked what had happened, he made up a story of falling on his walk and getting whacked by a bush. At 2 p.m., Jenna picked him up in her car and they spent the afternoon together.

Starting point is 00:12:09 At 8 p.m., they arrived at Robin's house and Scott gave him $40 for some weed. At night, Jenna noticed that her boyfriend had scratches on his face and that his right wrist and hand were swollen and that his arm was tender. He spun the same story again that a bush had hit him during his walk. The three of them spent the rest of the night smoking weed. At one point, Scott made a joke about Lizzie Borden saying he wondered how many wax it would take to kill a human being. He continued that, and I quote, if you wanted to kill someone, the most painless way would be to shoot them.

Starting point is 00:12:39 But if you wanted to cause pain, you would bludgeon the person 36 or 39 times. Esther texted her son later that night, warning him not to come home the next day, as someone in the canyon had been killed, and the police were denying access to the area. Jenna and Robin began to speculate on who may have been killed, and Scott told them it was most likely someone at the Horowitz house because he worked as an attorney. He then went on to say that he had seen someone on his walk that morning

Starting point is 00:13:06 and wondered if it could have been the killer. David had been calling his wife multiple times throughout the day, but she never picked up the phone. He left his office late in the afternoon, worked out at the gym, and did some grocery shopping before heading. home. When he pulled into the driveway, he saw that Pamela's car, a white Mercedes sedan, was still there, despite her saying she was going to visit the ballet that evening. As David walked towards the

Starting point is 00:13:31 house carrying his laptop and groceries, he noticed smears of blood on the front door. He opened the door and saw his wife lying dead in a pool of her own blood, with her head completely bashed in. He dropped everything and just started screaming and crying. He called 911 and continued screaming it's the police arrived. The cops arrived and sealed off the crime scene at approximately 9.15 p.m. Alex DeFlya, a criminalist with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab, was there to analyze the murder scene. He saw blood on the floor and the walls near Pamela's body

Starting point is 00:14:04 and an overturned plastic storage bin lid lying by the front door with a bloody footprint on top of the lid. Next, he observed blood smears on the interior portion of the door that suggested the killer wore a long-sleeved garment. The way the blood splattered on the door also gave him the impression that the door had been shut before the attack unfolded. There were also bloody finger marks on the walls and on objects in the room. Tests showed they contained tiny traces of fabric, suggesting the attacker had worn gloves. In the kitchen, Detective Taf found an open water bottle and a bowl on the counter that had blood on them.

Starting point is 00:14:38 There was also blood found on a mug in the sink. In the hallway bathroom, he observed a hand swipe in blood on the far wall and contact transfers on the shower curtain. and the hot water knob of the shower. An abandoned van was also located roughly a 10-minute walk from the residence. Inside, police found bloodstained clothing, which tests revealed to contain Pamela's blood. The autopsy report revealed that Pamela died from head trauma. She had suffered 26 blows to the head and was alive for all of them. Trauma was so severe that her skull was exposed.

Starting point is 00:15:09 Her nose was broken and two of her teeth were missing. Scratches were also found on her shoulders, breasts, and upper torso, as well as defensive of injuries on her hands and feet, suggesting that she fought for her life. The coroner believes Pamela was stabbed in the abdomen after death and that the killer, even if wearing gloves, would have sustained injuries such as bruising and swelling of the hand from applying the force necessary to cause all of Pamela's injuries. Morning after the homicide, Karen Schneider returned home. Credit card fraud had scared her out of town, and she drove to King City to be with her husband

Starting point is 00:15:40 for a while. She called the Neighborhood Association meeting so she could warn the people about the credit card fraud going on. Scott's mom, Esther, attended this meeting and confronted Karen about running over Scott's dog. Karen then shouted at Esther accusing her and her son of trying to kill her. When asked why she thought that, she pulled out the credit card orders that have been faxed to her and pointed out that the orders used the Horowitz address and been placed by Esther. Esther and Fred looked over the orders with Karen and could not figure out how Esther's name could be on them. Fred later looked at Scott's browsing history and found files showing this computer had been used to access a specialty lighting website

Starting point is 00:16:16 where the fraudulent orders had been placed. Fred and Esther confronted Scott in the morning of October 17th and he denied everything, claiming that someone must have broken into the house and used this computer. Afraid that she'd be kicked out of the residence if her son was guilty, Esther told Scott that he would have one chance to get rid of anything related to the credit card fraud. The next day, Scott and Jenna spent the day at the Renaissance Fair in Gilroy. When they returned home, Jenna spent the night in Scott's bed. She woke up at one point to find him going through his belongings. He told her that his mom was making him pack his things because his room might be searched by the police.

Starting point is 00:16:53 Scott placed a number of items into a red and black backpack, including a pair of shoes without laces that he had worn to the fair in five books, Silence of the Lambs, Father of the Dead, Hannibal, Absinthe, and Black Sunday. He then gave Jenna the backpack and asked her to keep it hidden for him. The next morning, Kim Curiel spoke with Scott about how she missed Pamela and what a terrible tragedy her death was. Scott simply responded, well, these things will happen. Kim then asked him where he was the morning Pamela was murdered and whether he had seen or talked to anyone suspicious. Scott replied that he went out for a walk and talked to someone on his way to the barn.

Starting point is 00:17:32 He continued that he saw a woman driving a white four-door sedan. She had long, straight brown hair and large glasses. The women rolled down her window and stopped the car. car reached across and grabbed his arm and said, you've got to believe. When that Kim mentioned that this description sounded a whole lot like Pamela Vitali, Scott said rather defensively, well, she grabbed me. She grabbed my arm, so she might have my DNA under her fingernails. Then he showed Kim fingernail marks on his right arm and said,

Starting point is 00:17:59 she even left marks. Scott's story confused Kim as he said that the woman was driving out of the canyon when he encountered her. If Scott was walking toward the barn, the woman would have had to reach across the passenger seat to grab his arm if she was driving downhill out of the canyon. Scott then changed his story, claiming he encountered her coming home while he was heading up the hill. It was Robin Crone's confession about the credit card fraud that ultimately led to Scott's arrest on October 20th. The next day, Esther drove to her sister's house in Bolinas and burned her son's backpack, scraps of paper with

Starting point is 00:18:33 credit card account numbers and names, his journal, a box of gloves, two pairs of pants, three shirts, a pair of lands end slip-on shoes, movies, an external hard drive, a book on mass murder and cult leaders, a knife, and empty bottles of absent. When police discovered the partially burned items, traces of blood were found in the backpack and the shoes. Scott's shoes also had the same pattern as the bloody footprint found at the crime scene. Police then searched an abandoned Toyota van near the Horowitz home. The van had been there for several years, and its interior contained papers, files, and other debris, as well as dead rodents, animal feces and dead vegetation. Samples taken from the van showed the presence of human blood.

Starting point is 00:19:12 In the driver's seat, officers found a duffel bag that looked newer than the rest of the items in the van. The bag contained a lightweight dark sweater, a blue ball of clava, and a black costume-style evening glove that extended up to the forearm. Each item was turned inside out and appeared to contain blood stains. The fabric pattern of the glove was similar to the fabric prints left at the scene of the crime. Duffel bag also contained an overcoat with the left sleeve turned inside out. and safety pins affixed the right cuff and bottom. Scott was known to wear safety pins in his clothing. The black pullover shirt found in the duffel bag was also similar to other shirts he owned,

Starting point is 00:19:47 and an airline tag was found with Scott Doleski written on it. Forensic tests later revealed the blood found in the van and on Scott's clothing was Pamela's. Scott was detained at Contra Costa Juvenile Hall of Martinez on $1 million bail for murder, and despite being 16, he was tried as an adult. While in custody, Scott exposed himself in his cell. to a female counselor during a room check. A report was filed, which stated, the defendant was standing near his bed with his underwear pulled down,

Starting point is 00:20:14 completely exposing himself to the counselor. He was folding his bedding and made no effort to cover himself. In November of 2005, Fred Curiel's brother, David, was cleaning out Scott's room and found a piece of paper wedge between the framework and the top of a dresser. It a list of five bullet points. Knockout slash kidnap. Question.

Starting point is 00:20:32 Keep captive to confirm pins. Dirty work. And dispose of that. evidence. The words cut up and Barry followed the last bullet point. Test carried out on the paper showed the fingerprints and handwriting belonged to Scott. On August 28, 2006, Scott pled not guilty to all 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. The defense tried to get Scott a lenient sentence, arguing that he was a

Starting point is 00:21:03 poverty-stricken, abused child, even bringing in classmates to testify that he was a kind, intelligent, and funny individual. His mother, Esther Fielding, was nearly prosecuted as an accessory to murder after she burned evidence from her son's backpack. She also testified in support of her son's innocence, describing him as a well-behaved youngster who could never murder anyone as he was afraid of blood. However, the jury was not convinced, and Scott was found guilty on all charges. He was formerly sentenced on September 26, 2006, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was incarcerated at San Quentin Prison on his 18th birthday, making him the youngest inmate in the California prison system at that time. A few years later, he was transferred to Kern Valley State Prison and finally to Corkeran State Prison where he currently resides.

Starting point is 00:21:49 In the years following the 2006 trial, private detectives Ralph Hernandez and John Fitzgerald have gathered a wealth of information, which they believe, suggests that Scott Daleski is an innocent man framed for the murder of Pamela Vatale. Their findings were sent to the Lafayette City Council in its April 10th, 2023 meetings. You urge the council to pressure the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office to review Scott's case.

Starting point is 00:22:15 Detective Fitzgerald begins saying, the actual murderer or murderers are still walking around Lafayette. One of them was married to the woman that was murdered. He continued that three scent dogs traced the killer to another trailer on Pamela and David's property, not to Scott Doleski's house. This crucial piece of evidence went unnoticed for years so, the defense team never got to to use it at Scott's trial. According to the detective, the crime scene had a pinkish red water in the sink,

Starting point is 00:22:43 closed soaking in blood on them, and a picture of the victim on them. The 2009 forensic report also shows that key items of potentially exculpatory physical evidence were not properly examined, noting, these are items that were likely used by or associated with the offender during and after the commission of the crime. Flawed methodology and subsequent false testimony are beneath best practice and raise the spectra of potential fraud. Detective Hernandez has been investigating the Scott Doleski case since 2011 and strongly believes he is innocent. Having told the counsel, Scott Doleski did not murder Pamela Vittale in your city. Somebody else did. As of 2004, the Lafayette City Council has not shared their thoughts on the evidence shown by either of the

Starting point is 00:23:29 detectives, or indicated if they have any plans to get involved. In June 2017, Scott appealed his sentence, asking for 25 years with parole and telling the judge that he will work with at-risk youth when he leaves prison. The court ruled that a sentence of life without parole had violated his Eighth Amendment rights, and Scott will now be eligible for parole in 2030. A memorial music service to celebrate Pamela's life was held on Saturday, November 19th, 2005 at 2 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church. Flowers were sent to the church and donations were made to the Peace Lutheran Church Music Department. Pamela was buried in Lafayette, followed by a funeral service attended by family members and close friends. She is deeply and forever missed by her husband David,

Starting point is 00:24:12 her two children, and all her extended family members, friends, and colleagues.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Scott Dyleski & Pamela Vitale

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