'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAIBAAAgAGAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAwUGIUEEERIxUf/EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AM0pV08FKcHa3qcSmHIlgF8HfWNfYmZ1xLMnO4pvAUMxbxEnA717hCFdMRkv/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dateline NBC's "The Unusual Suspect" summarizes a series of violent crimes in Prince George's County, Maryland, in 2009. The case is about the murder of two mother-daughter pairs—Karen and Karissa Lofton, and Delores and Ebony Dewitt—and the complex investigation that followed.
What began as two separate homicides became a bigger criminal case involving multiple home invasions, burglaries, and federal charges.
Here are the disturbing details of these two 2009 double-homicides as shown in Dateline
The Double Homicides of 2009 in Prince George's County
Karen Lofton and her teenage daughter Karissa were found shot dead in their residence in January 2009. Weeks afterward, in March 2009, Delores Dewitt and her daughter, Ebony, were found dead in the trunk of a car on fire. They were both mother-daughter sets, and both incidents were committed under circumstances that at first offered little clues.
There had been no forced entry into either home, and robbery did appear to be crossed off as an option. Those similarities prompted researchers to examine the possibility of commonality.
The emergence of Jason Thomas Scott as a person of interest
Jason Thomas Scott, a resident and former UPS worker, was introduced to the authorities later in the investigation. Federal court documents and details in the Dateline episode indicate that Scott accessed UPS delivery systems and used his access to gain information regarding his victims.
Scott was a computer science major, and prosecutors later said he used both his technical knowledge and access to personal information to carry out a series of burglaries and home invasions. Police also utilized surveillance video and other electronic evidence in linking Scott to several incidents.
Charges, arrest, and prosecution
Scott was taken into custody in July 2010 following a lengthy probe into burglaries and home break-ins with force. As the investigation progressed, he was charged with the murder of Delores and Ebony Dewitt. In 2013, Scott entered an Alford plea—a courtroom bargain in which the defendant doesn't admit to guilt but admits prosecutors have sufficient evidence for conviction.
He was sentenced to 85 years in the state prison for the Dewitt murders. In another federal case, Scott was found guilty of additional counts on over 50 burglaries, home break-ins with weapons, and child pornography. He received a 100-year federal sentence to run consecutively. In FBI reports, Scott used a combination of physical monitoring, computer technology, and stolen weapons in committing the crimes.
The Lofton case: Status and questions
Although Scott was a suspect in the murders of Karen and Karissa Lofton, he was not officially charged with that crime. Dateline and confirmed by court records report that Prince George's County prosecutors chose not to pursue charges against Scott in the case of the Loftons after his state and federal convictions because of prosecutorial discretion and the fact that he would remain in prison for life.
Despite this decision, the police have formally announced that Scott remains the primary suspect for the Lofton murders.
Impact on the community
The crimes had a lasting effect on the community. Both cases, especially due to the status of the victims and the coincidence in time and place, were of concern to residents. As was discovered in interviews broadcast during the Dateline segment, relatives and community leaders still ask questions, most notably in Lofton's case, which remained open.
Dateline: "The Unusual Suspect" documents the investigative effort that resulted in Jason Thomas Scott's arrest and prosecution, but it also raises questions that remain unanswered. The episode highlights the way technology, access, and opportunity converged in one of Prince George's County's most complex criminal cases.
While Scott is currently serving multiple long sentences, the Karen and Karissa Lofton case is still technically open and has not been eliminated as a possibility by law enforcement.
Trending
Also read: Dateline: The Devil's in the Details - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode
Dateline: The Widow Of Woodland Hills - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode
Reply
