Dyleski gets life in prison without parole

Contra Costa Times ^ | 9/26/6 | Bruce Gerstman

[SmithL]

MARTINEZ - Scott Dyleski will serve life in state prison without parole for killing Pamela Vitale, a Lafayette woman who was his neighbor and the wife of a prominent defense attorney.

"The one time I saw you show any emotion is during autopsy photos," Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Barbara Zuniga told the Dyleski as she sentenced the teenager.

"I saw you, sir, lean forward and your mouth fell open. And that's the position you remained in. You were absolutely fascinated by your handwork. You don't deserve to live among decent people."

The judge pronounced the sentence after hearing more than two hours of testimony from Vitale's family and adults who knew Dyleski.

A jury in August convicted Scott Dyleski, 17, of first-degree murder and the special circumstance of murder in the commission of a burglary in the Oct. 15, 2005, slaying of Vitale.

The special circumstance finding carries a sentence of life in prison without parole. But because Dyleski was 16 when he committed the crime, the judge had the option of sentencing him to 25 years to life.

The prosecutor said at trial that Dyleski bludgeoned Vitale to death partly because he believed she was a different neighbor who had foiled his plan to use stolen credit card information and had also run over and injured his dog.

Dyleski's attorney had said her client was home at the time of the killing.

[SmithL]

Dyleski Ping

[avacado]

"I saw you, sir, lean forward and your mouth fell open. And that's the position you remained in. You were absolutely fascinated by your handwork."

[Rte66]

Thanks for the ping and the good news - LWOP for Mr Creepy. Man, Zuniga nailed him, didn't she? *That's* why I wish I could've been there to see all the nuances of the trial. That's just sickening.

"You don't deserve to live among decent people."

I suppose the message here is if your teen dresses goth, all in black, talks about death a lot - it's not a problem until they stop doing it and start acting on it.