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[dramatic music]
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‐ It is incredibly rare
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for criminal defendants
to take the stand.
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It's a risk very few take.
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At stake, one's freedom
or even their life.
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This is James Scandirito Jr.,
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a Florida man charged with
the murder and dismemberment
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of his 74‐year‐old father,
Skip.
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‐ Panicked and scared,
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and thought I had to move
my dad's body.
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‐ He's decided
to take that gamble.
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Will it help him convince
the jury he's not guilty?
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‐ You didn't kill him?
‐ I did not kill my dad.
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‐ Or will it come back
to haunt him?
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Take a courtside seat
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with the prosecutor,
the victim's sister,
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the legal analyst,
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and a lead detective.
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I'm Dan Abrams,
and this is "Under Oath."
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‐ Raise your right hand.
‐ Do you solemnly swear...
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‐ I'm being honest
with everything I say to you.
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‐ Do solemnly swear...
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‐ The whole truth
and nothing but the truth.
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‐ I would like to testify.
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‐ The testimony
you are about to give...
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The whole truth
and nothing but the truth...
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‐ So help you God?
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♪ ♪
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‐ I'm gonna have to
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dismember my dad
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to be able to move him
out of the house.
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♪ ♪
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‐ James Scandirito Jr. stands
accused of murdering
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and dismembering his
74‐year‐old father, Skip.
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Scandirito claimed
he discovered
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his father already deceased
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and, in a drug‐induced panic,
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that he made the fateful
decision to cut up the body
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and conceal the crime.
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Scandirito's facing
the death penalty.
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He's fighting to save his
freedom and maybe his life.
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He decides to take the stand
in his own defense
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and tell the jury firsthand
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what happened
that fateful night.
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But to do so,
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he'll have to admit
to some of the ghastly crime,
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and the jury
will have to decide,
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did he or did he not
murder his father?
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♪ ♪
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‐ Every murder has
at least one motive.
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Prosecutor's theory
was twofold.
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Jimmy Scandirito
hated his father.
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Jimmy Scandirito
had a big motive
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to get money,
an $800,000 inheritance.
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‐ The defendant is a man
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who is fueled by greed.
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♪ ♪
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James Scandirito II
did everything
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he possibly could
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to get away with murder,
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and at the end of this case,
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we will ask that you find him
guilty of first degree murder
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and abuse of a dead human body.
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‐ The defense's argument
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was that Jimmy Scandirito
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was in a drug‐induced haze.
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He was a drug addict,
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and when he was confronted
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with his father passing away
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and having a heart attack,
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he absolutely,
categorically panicked
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and made a bad decision
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to dismember his father
and bury him.
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‐ If Jimmy
had needed anything,
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Skip would've
provided it to him.
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He made
some terrible decisions,
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some criminal decisions
in this case,
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but murder is not one of them.
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‐ James Scandirito Jr.
was Skip's only son.
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The defense has
an obvious challenge.
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The idea that a son
could chop up his father
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is too horrific
to contemplate.
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But prosecutors had the burden
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to prove the case
beyond a reasonable doubt.
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As the trial proceeds,
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both the defense
and prosecution
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will look to family history
to make their case.
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♪ ♪
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‐ Skip, we call him Skip,
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was my oldest brother.
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Jimmy was an only child,
his only son.
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‐ You know, we were,
like, best friends.
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You know, we played golf,
you know,
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almost every week
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while I was living here
in Florida.
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I love my dad.
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‐ Skip became an attorney,
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and he was a district judge
in Michigan
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in Mount Clemmons,
Macomb County.
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Him and his wife, Terri,
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retired to Boca Raton,
Florida.
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They had a little house
and a pool and everything.
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And they just really lived
a very good life.
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But Jimmy was never
as driven as Skip.
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Skip was very driven.
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Worked from the bottom up,
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and Jimmy just
wasn't ambitious.
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He just wanted things
handed to him.
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He went kinda from job to job.
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Very much of a mama's boy.
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Terri would tell me many times
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that Jimmy hates Skip.
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I mean, he was hard on Jimmy,
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but Jimmy was
also very entitled.
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♪ ♪
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When Terri died in 2017,
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I think Skip just was
getting ready to cut him off.
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"Enough's enough, Jimmy.
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You have to make
your own way."
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‐ When Terri Scandirito died,
her estate went to her husband,
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Skip Scandirito, and so Skip
would've been responsible
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for doling out
any of that money.
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Our theory was
that Jimmy Scandirito
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did commit a homicide
on his father
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and thought it was
financially motivated.
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♪ ♪
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‐ The weekend of March 28th
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through April 1st of 2018,
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Skip Scandirito had
a relatively packed weekend.
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His good friend, Gary Goodin,
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was coming into town.
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That Sunday was
Easter Sunday as well.
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‐ But as Scandirito
explains it,
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this was no ordinary
father/son relationship.
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Jimmy and Skip
were best friends.
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In addition
to the occasional golf game,
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they would, every now and then,
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smoke pot
and do cocaine together.
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Now, this is important
to explain what Jimmy claims
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happened that very weekend.
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♪ ♪
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‐ I come inside,
I guess, you know,
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somewhere around 11:30.
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I come around, I see him.
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He's on the floor,
kind of on his side,
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kind of with his head rested
against the couch.
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And I yell,
"Dad, are you okay?"
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And no response.
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Um, thought maybe he just
passed out or something,
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so I kinda grab him
and shake him a little bit
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and nothing.
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There was no pulse at all.
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He had knocked over
all of the cocaine.
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It was on the floor.
It was on the couch.
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It was on him.
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He was just
kind of laying in it.
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‐ No, no, no, no.
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I was more buzzed, drunk,
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and high and stoned
than he was.
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And you get paranoid sometimes
when you do cocaine,
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so my first reaction was, "Oh,
no, I'm gonna get in trouble
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"because he died
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snorting my cocaine."
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I was panicked and scared
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and thought I had to remove
my dad's body.
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That I'm gonna have
to dismember my dad
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to be able to move him
out of the house.
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♪ ♪
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‐ For the prosecution,
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it's a son taking the life
of his father.
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That's an aggravating factor.
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"He did it for money,
the inheritance."
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Those are reasons why
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those prosecutors sought
the death penalty.
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There was not
a mountain of evidence.
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There was a continent
of evidence
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that shows premeditation
and planning.
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But when Jimmy Scandirito
took the stand,
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he was sincere,
he was remorseful,
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he was utterly embarrassed
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about what he did
to his father.
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‐ By taking the stand,
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James Scandirito is prepared
to tell his grizzly story.
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Could Scandirito just be guilty
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of dismembering his father
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but innocent of murder?
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Would the jury believe him?
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‐ A saw.
A hand saw.
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‐ Yes.
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‐ I did not kill my dad.
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[dramatic music]
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Just passed out onto the table.
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‐ So you thought that
he had perhaps overdosed,
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and did that worry you?
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‐ I was very worried.
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I was panicked and scared
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and thought I had to remove
my dad's body.
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That I'm gonna have
to dismember my dad
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to be able to move him
out of the house.
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‐ In a rare move,
James Scandirito Jr.
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is taking the stand
in his own defense.
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He claims he discovered
his father, Skip,
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already deceased,
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and though he admits
to dismembering his father
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in a drug‐induced panic,
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he is adamant that he is not
guilty of murder.
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The story Jimmy Scandirito
initially told police
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would create
another challenge.
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♪ ♪
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‐ The Boca Raton Police
Department received a call
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about a missing person.
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I initially went
to the residence
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of Skip Scandirito,
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and I met
with the victim's son, Jimmy,
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and Skip's buddy, Gary Goodin.
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They reported to me that they
hadn't seen Skip for a while,
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and they wanted
to report him missing.
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‐ The idea was put forth
by Jimmy Scandirito
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that his father
had gone kayaking.
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‐ The victim's vehicle
was a small SUV.
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That was located
at Delray Beach.
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‐ I happened to find a receipt
from Home Depot
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on the passenger floorboard.
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I thought
it was a little unusual,
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I guess you could say.
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It had shown the purchase
of a hand truck and a gas can.
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We took the next step
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to pull some
of Skip's financial records,
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and upon reviewing,
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we discovered that there were
some credit card charges.
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So we went
and pulled the video.
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We see Jimmy Scandirito
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using his father's
credit cards
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to purchase
a crime scene cleanup kit.
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That started
this investigation
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going from a missing
person's investigation
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to something else
at that point.
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‐ Now Jimmy Scandirito was
undoubtedly the prime suspect.
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♪ ♪
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‐ After Skip had been
reported missing,
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we had our surveillance team
covertly following Jimmy.
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Jimmy's actions
were so bizarre
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that we knew
that we were working on
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obviously something
very serious.
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We observed Jimmy walk onto
a large abandoned golf course
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not far from Skip's residence.
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There were sand traps,
there were lakes.
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‐ I basically decide
that I need
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to bury the torso
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and the lower extremities
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somewhere out
in the golf course.
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I know
it's an abandoned golf course.
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‐ He spent 45 minutes
on the golf course,
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and then he returned
to his vehicle
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dragging some suitcases.
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And then threw them
in a dumpster
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not far from the golf course,
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so we instantly secured
that dumpster area.
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‐ When they lifted
the suitcase out,
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immediately they noticed
that there was a strong odor
261
00:11:00,703 --> 00:11:02,622
coming from these suitcases.
262
00:11:02,747 --> 00:11:04,123
There were maggots.
263
00:11:04,207 --> 00:11:06,542
There is what appear
to be bodily fluid.
264
00:11:06,626 --> 00:11:09,545
‐ Palm Beach County Sheriff's
Office took their K9 dog
265
00:11:09,670 --> 00:11:11,339
onto the golf course.
266
00:11:11,380 --> 00:11:13,466
They were able to unearth
267
00:11:13,549 --> 00:11:14,842
two body parts
268
00:11:14,884 --> 00:11:16,677
in a shallow grave
on the golf course.
269
00:11:16,761 --> 00:11:19,847
The decision was made
to arrest Jimmy Scandirito
270
00:11:19,889 --> 00:11:22,016
for the homicide of his father.
271
00:11:22,099 --> 00:11:24,435
‐ Skip Scandirito is
believed to have died
272
00:11:24,518 --> 00:11:26,938
the night of March 28, 2018.
273
00:11:27,063 --> 00:11:29,148
It's clear
that Jimmy Scandirito
274
00:11:29,232 --> 00:11:31,192
took drastic measures
to conceal the crime.
275
00:11:31,317 --> 00:11:33,653
His attorneys
know that appearing truthful
276
00:11:33,736 --> 00:11:34,987
to the jury is critical,
277
00:11:35,071 --> 00:11:36,530
so he'll have to take
the jurors
278
00:11:36,614 --> 00:11:39,617
through the ugly events
of the night in his own words.
279
00:11:39,700 --> 00:11:43,079
♪ ♪
280
00:11:56,425 --> 00:11:57,927
‐ Yes.
281
00:11:58,052 --> 00:12:00,346
I...
282
00:12:00,471 --> 00:12:02,181
basically come
to the realization
283
00:12:02,306 --> 00:12:04,600
that I'm not gonna be able
284
00:12:04,684 --> 00:12:08,771
to load my father's body
285
00:12:08,896 --> 00:12:11,023
into the back of his truck
286
00:12:11,148 --> 00:12:14,860
if I'm going to bury it
or remove him.
287
00:12:20,741 --> 00:12:23,286
‐ A saw.
It's a hand saw.
288
00:12:30,793 --> 00:12:34,171
‐ The arm, let's say,
is finally dismembered.
289
00:12:34,297 --> 00:12:36,424
It kind of falls
290
00:12:36,549 --> 00:12:38,092
into the garbage bag.
291
00:12:38,217 --> 00:12:41,679
Eventually ended up putting 'em
all into three suitcases.
292
00:12:41,762 --> 00:12:43,347
‐ Describing those details
293
00:12:43,431 --> 00:12:45,808
was an intentional strategy
by the defense.
294
00:12:45,891 --> 00:12:48,060
They contend
that Scandirito's actions
295
00:12:48,185 --> 00:12:50,187
are those of a drug‐fueled man
296
00:12:50,313 --> 00:12:53,691
who panicked and then hastily
buried his father.
297
00:12:53,774 --> 00:12:56,360
‐ They found him
in the golf course.
298
00:12:56,485 --> 00:12:59,655
It wasn't all of him.
Parts were missing.
299
00:12:59,739 --> 00:13:02,116
‐ The area from the neck
300
00:13:02,241 --> 00:13:05,619
including the head on up
was missing.
301
00:13:05,745 --> 00:13:07,496
Both upper extremities,
right and left,
302
00:13:07,580 --> 00:13:08,873
they were gone.
303
00:13:08,998 --> 00:13:11,876
And then from mid‐thigh
on down, that was gone.
304
00:13:11,917 --> 00:13:14,670
So all we had left
was from about here
305
00:13:14,754 --> 00:13:16,088
to mid‐thigh.
306
00:13:16,172 --> 00:13:18,215
What was left here, the trunk,
307
00:13:18,341 --> 00:13:21,427
was actually bisected
into two pieces.
308
00:13:21,510 --> 00:13:23,220
So you can essentially see
309
00:13:23,304 --> 00:13:25,890
where a saw, something
like a hand saw, was used
310
00:13:26,015 --> 00:13:28,100
to dismember the body.
311
00:13:28,225 --> 00:13:29,810
‐ Even if the jury believed
312
00:13:29,894 --> 00:13:32,063
Scandirito was
a grief‐stricken son,
313
00:13:32,188 --> 00:13:35,316
they would have to consider,
if he was capable
314
00:13:35,399 --> 00:13:38,569
of such horrors,
what else he was capable of.
315
00:13:38,652 --> 00:13:40,863
‐ Certainly made
some bad decisions.
316
00:13:40,946 --> 00:13:43,407
‐ Horrible decisions.
‐ Okay.
317
00:13:43,491 --> 00:13:47,620
But you did not participate
in any way at all
318
00:13:47,745 --> 00:13:49,205
with the death of your father?
319
00:13:49,246 --> 00:13:54,502
‐ I did not.
320
00:13:54,585 --> 00:13:56,003
[dramatic music]
321
00:13:56,087 --> 00:13:57,838
‐ Facing the death penalty,
322
00:13:57,922 --> 00:13:58,964
James Scandirito Jr.
is taking the stand
323
00:13:59,048 --> 00:14:00,716
to fight for his life.
324
00:14:00,841 --> 00:14:02,843
His decision to do that
leaves him open
325
00:14:02,927 --> 00:14:05,179
to cross‐examination
by the prosecution,
326
00:14:05,262 --> 00:14:07,723
and they intend
to make the case for murder
327
00:14:07,848 --> 00:14:09,725
by laying out
a financial motive.
328
00:14:09,809 --> 00:14:13,020
♪ ♪
329
00:14:13,104 --> 00:14:14,939
‐ Your mother was concerned
330
00:14:15,064 --> 00:14:16,482
about your relationship
with your father.
331
00:14:16,565 --> 00:14:18,317
She made your father promise
332
00:14:18,401 --> 00:14:21,028
to good care of you
when she passed.
333
00:14:21,112 --> 00:14:22,905
‐ Yeah, he's difficult.
334
00:14:23,030 --> 00:14:25,533
‐ Especially that month, right?
‐ Yes.
335
00:14:25,616 --> 00:14:29,703
‐ At the timeframe
that this incident started,
336
00:14:29,787 --> 00:14:31,038
Jimmy was broke.
337
00:14:31,122 --> 00:14:34,333
Jimmy had about $3 or $4
in his checking account.
338
00:14:34,417 --> 00:14:36,460
‐ You said that
you had bad credit?
339
00:14:36,544 --> 00:14:37,670
‐ Yes.
340
00:14:37,753 --> 00:14:41,674
I've had bad credit
since college.
341
00:14:41,757 --> 00:14:43,050
‐ He was spending
a lot of money.
342
00:14:43,134 --> 00:14:44,969
He was living
way beyond his means.
343
00:14:50,599 --> 00:14:51,976
‐ I don't.
344
00:14:55,438 --> 00:14:56,522
‐ I believe so.
345
00:14:56,647 --> 00:14:59,066
‐ Where Jimmy kind of went
off the deep end
346
00:14:59,150 --> 00:15:01,026
was when his mother died.
347
00:15:01,152 --> 00:15:03,571
His father basically
cut him off.
348
00:15:04,363 --> 00:15:05,990
‐ Boca police say they learned
349
00:15:06,073 --> 00:15:08,367
Scandirito Sr. had
some 800 grand in accounts
350
00:15:08,409 --> 00:15:10,077
where his son
was the beneficiary.
351
00:15:10,202 --> 00:15:11,871
And police said Junior
352
00:15:11,996 --> 00:15:15,166
had already tried
to cash out $9,500.
353
00:15:19,086 --> 00:15:22,256
‐ No.
I would never think that way.
354
00:15:22,339 --> 00:15:25,009
♪ ♪
355
00:15:31,474 --> 00:15:32,558
‐ Arms, legs, and head.
356
00:15:34,935 --> 00:15:37,021
‐ Both the tarps
were in the garage.
357
00:15:38,397 --> 00:15:41,567
‐ Yeah, and I had
a poncho on.
358
00:15:42,651 --> 00:15:43,736
‐ I was just horrified.
359
00:15:43,861 --> 00:15:45,362
I never thought that
360
00:15:45,446 --> 00:15:47,198
anybody in our family
would ever do that
361
00:15:47,281 --> 00:15:49,783
to another person,
let alone their father.
362
00:15:49,909 --> 00:15:52,203
‐ The dad dies, you call 911.
363
00:15:52,286 --> 00:15:54,788
You don't go to Walmart
and get saws
364
00:15:54,914 --> 00:15:58,250
and hack them up
and hide the body parts.
365
00:15:58,334 --> 00:15:59,919
‐ I made a bunch
of stupid decisions.
366
00:16:00,002 --> 00:16:03,172
I'm not a, you know,
career criminal
367
00:16:03,255 --> 00:16:05,049
that plans, you know...
368
00:16:08,886 --> 00:16:10,137
‐ I had money.
369
00:16:10,221 --> 00:16:12,723
‐ Skip Scandirito's
cause of death
370
00:16:12,848 --> 00:16:15,518
was homicide
by the specified means
371
00:16:15,601 --> 00:16:18,521
because I don't have
the rest of those body parts.
372
00:16:18,646 --> 00:16:20,189
Alligators in Florida,
373
00:16:20,314 --> 00:16:22,900
they do prefer decomposed meat.
374
00:16:22,983 --> 00:16:25,861
So his body parts
could easily be inside
375
00:16:25,945 --> 00:16:27,321
an alligator somewhere.
376
00:16:27,404 --> 00:16:29,490
‐ With no head or limbs
to examine,
377
00:16:29,573 --> 00:16:32,910
proving how Skip Scandirito
died is difficult,
378
00:16:32,993 --> 00:16:35,037
but there is one key piece
of evidence
379
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:36,705
discovered
by the medical examiner.
380
00:16:36,789 --> 00:16:40,584
‐ Skip Scandirito had no
cocaine in his system at all.
381
00:16:40,668 --> 00:16:43,170
The drug use has nothing
to do with his death.
382
00:16:43,254 --> 00:16:46,048
‐ James Scandirito testifies
in great detail
383
00:16:46,131 --> 00:16:47,800
that his father
was doing cocaine
384
00:16:47,883 --> 00:16:49,385
the night he supposedly died,
385
00:16:49,468 --> 00:16:52,263
but the autopsy report
suggested otherwise.
386
00:16:52,388 --> 00:16:54,181
‐ I don't believe
he ever did cocaine,
387
00:16:54,306 --> 00:16:56,392
and everybody knew he didn't.
388
00:16:56,475 --> 00:16:57,518
♪ ♪
389
00:16:57,601 --> 00:16:59,770
‐ Jimmy, he had fled
Southeast Florida.
390
00:16:59,895 --> 00:17:01,897
He had travel plans
391
00:17:02,022 --> 00:17:04,233
to potentially fly
392
00:17:04,358 --> 00:17:07,027
from Miami
to the Cayman Islands
393
00:17:07,111 --> 00:17:08,612
to Columbia.
394
00:17:08,696 --> 00:17:11,031
He had researched
private jet companies,
395
00:17:11,115 --> 00:17:13,325
and he had a U. S. passport.
396
00:17:13,409 --> 00:17:16,245
It looked like he was trying
to flee the country.
397
00:17:16,328 --> 00:17:18,956
‐ James Scandirito is fighting
for his life.
398
00:17:19,039 --> 00:17:20,749
He puts it all on the line
399
00:17:20,874 --> 00:17:22,793
relaying the gruesome details
400
00:17:22,876 --> 00:17:25,087
of how he dismembered
and buried his father.
401
00:17:25,212 --> 00:17:28,841
But he stopped short
of confessing to killing him.
402
00:17:28,966 --> 00:17:30,342
‐ I did not kill my dad.
403
00:17:30,426 --> 00:17:32,469
‐ Will the jury find
his testimony convincing?
404
00:17:32,553 --> 00:17:35,014
Will his decision to testify
save his life
405
00:17:35,097 --> 00:17:36,640
or seal his fate?
406
00:17:36,724 --> 00:17:39,518
‐ As the jury left the room
to deliberate,
407
00:17:39,643 --> 00:17:41,020
it is a scenario
408
00:17:41,145 --> 00:17:43,814
that is completely
out of your control.
409
00:17:43,897 --> 00:17:45,274
The most that you can do
is hope
410
00:17:45,399 --> 00:17:47,568
that you presented
the best case that you could.
411
00:17:47,651 --> 00:17:53,032
♪ ♪
412
00:17:53,073 --> 00:17:54,325
[gavel bangs]
413
00:17:54,408 --> 00:17:55,826
‐ All rise.
Court is now back in session.
414
00:17:55,909 --> 00:17:57,202
[dramatic music]
415
00:17:57,328 --> 00:17:59,121
‐ James Scandirito
spent days testifying
416
00:17:59,246 --> 00:18:01,165
to the gruesome details
417
00:18:01,248 --> 00:18:03,125
of dismembering
and burying his father,
418
00:18:03,250 --> 00:18:05,169
who he claims was already dead.
419
00:18:05,252 --> 00:18:07,546
Now the jury
has the final word.
420
00:18:07,630 --> 00:18:10,591
♪ ♪
421
00:18:10,716 --> 00:18:12,134
‐ Mr. Scandirito,
422
00:18:12,217 --> 00:18:14,094
you will rise to receive
our jury's verdict.
423
00:18:14,178 --> 00:18:16,180
‐ We the jury find
as follows:
424
00:18:16,263 --> 00:18:19,642
as to count one,
we find the defendant...
425
00:18:19,725 --> 00:18:20,934
not guilty.
426
00:18:21,060 --> 00:18:22,311
As to count two,
427
00:18:22,394 --> 00:18:24,188
we find the defendant guilty
428
00:18:24,271 --> 00:18:26,440
of abuse of a dead human body.
429
00:18:26,565 --> 00:18:27,733
‐ It worked.
430
00:18:27,858 --> 00:18:29,276
James Scandirito's testimony
431
00:18:29,401 --> 00:18:31,695
convinced the jurors
that he was only guilty
432
00:18:31,820 --> 00:18:34,615
of the charge of abuse
of a dead human body
433
00:18:34,740 --> 00:18:36,158
but not guilty of murder.
434
00:18:36,241 --> 00:18:38,994
‐ So say we all,
this 21st day of March,
435
00:18:39,078 --> 00:18:41,747
2019, in West Palm Beach,
436
00:18:41,872 --> 00:18:43,040
Palm Beach County, Florida,
437
00:18:43,123 --> 00:18:44,875
signed jury foreperson.
438
00:18:44,958 --> 00:18:48,420
‐ The prosecution thought
they had a slam dunk case,
439
00:18:48,545 --> 00:18:51,882
but Jimmy Scandirito
rolled the dice,
440
00:18:51,965 --> 00:18:55,844
and he put a rope
through a needle.
441
00:18:55,928 --> 00:18:57,179
‐ When they read the verdict
442
00:18:57,304 --> 00:18:58,722
and said that Jimmy
443
00:18:58,847 --> 00:19:01,600
was not guilty of murder,
444
00:19:01,725 --> 00:19:03,769
I was very disappointed.
445
00:19:03,894 --> 00:19:05,062
I just couldn't believe
446
00:19:05,187 --> 00:19:06,522
that he could just get away
with it.
447
00:19:06,647 --> 00:19:08,190
‐ But sentencing
is still to come,
448
00:19:08,315 --> 00:19:09,900
and the judge
had a lot of leeway
449
00:19:09,983 --> 00:19:11,193
on what kind of time
450
00:19:11,235 --> 00:19:13,570
James Scandirito
could spend behind bars
451
00:19:13,654 --> 00:19:15,406
for the crime
he was convicted of.
452
00:19:15,489 --> 00:19:20,160
♪ ♪
453
00:19:39,096 --> 00:19:41,473
♪ ♪
454
00:19:41,557 --> 00:19:44,476
‐ Scandirito's testimony
clearly swayed the jury
455
00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:47,354
but maybe not as much
the judge,
456
00:19:47,438 --> 00:19:49,356
who was determined
to throw the book at him
457
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,234
for the heinous crime
of dismembering his father.
458
00:19:52,317 --> 00:19:55,487
‐ When I saw Jimmy
was gonna take the stand,
459
00:19:55,571 --> 00:19:58,240
I knew that he was gonna
have to tell details
460
00:19:58,365 --> 00:20:00,367
about the dismemberment.
461
00:20:00,451 --> 00:20:02,953
I thought, "That's gonna be
the nail in his coffin,"
462
00:20:03,078 --> 00:20:04,997
but it didn't turn out
that way
463
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,249
because the jury believed him.
464
00:20:07,374 --> 00:20:09,710
‐ I think Jimmy Scandirito
got away with murder.
465
00:20:09,793 --> 00:20:11,003
♪ ♪
466
00:20:11,086 --> 00:20:15,090
‐ The prosecution could not
prove exactly what killed Skip,
467
00:20:15,215 --> 00:20:16,759
and without that information,
468
00:20:16,842 --> 00:20:19,178
the jurors decided
that James Scandirito
469
00:20:19,261 --> 00:20:21,346
could not be convicted
of murder.
470
00:20:21,430 --> 00:20:25,392
‐ If William Shakespeare
were alive today,
471
00:20:25,517 --> 00:20:28,979
there would be a play
called "Jimmy Scandirito."
472
00:20:29,062 --> 00:20:30,773
I think Jimmy Scandirito
473
00:20:30,898 --> 00:20:34,860
is the luckiest man in
the United States of America.
474
00:20:35,861 --> 00:20:37,404
The jury has spoken.
475
00:20:37,529 --> 00:20:40,616
‐ James Scandirito Jr. is
serving his 15 year sentence
476
00:20:40,741 --> 00:20:42,534
in Graceville
Correctional Facility.
477
00:20:42,618 --> 00:20:47,539
When released, Scandirito will
likely be 64 years old.
478
00:20:47,581 --> 00:20:52,711
♪ ♪
479
00:20:52,836 --> 00:20:55,631
Defendants are never forced
to take the stand,
480
00:20:55,714 --> 00:20:58,175
but that decision
is likely the biggest one
481
00:20:58,217 --> 00:20:59,593
they ever make.
482
00:20:59,718 --> 00:21:02,638
For "Under Oath,"
I'm Dan Abrams.