Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
“House of Horrors” is an episode of Cold Justice on Oxygen that delves into the Pendleton quadruple homicide. “Kelly and Steve team up with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office to solve the horrific quadruple homicide of a family on Halloween; their investigation reveals a family feud, a trail of stolen cash, and a bloody shoe print left by the killer,” a synopsis of the episode read. The second part of the episode will air on Oxygen on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET.
Mike and Cathy Scott were 58 and 60 years old respectively when they were found dead inside their house on Refuge Road, in Pendleton. Both Mike and Cathy’s mother, 80-year-old Barbara Scott, and 85-year-old Violet Taylor were also found dead in the same house, making the murder infamously known as the Pendleton quadruple homicide. Cathy’s daughter, Amy Vilardi reported the crime. She claimed that she went to check on her mother when she noticed that she hadn’t come out to walk the dog, NBC News reported.
Amy Vilardi claimed that the back door was open. Authorities noted that there were no evident signs of forced entry. Each of the victims of the Pendleton quadruple homicide had at least one gunshot wound and three of them were found in the den while one was in the bedroom. Authorities deduced that whoever killed the four victims was known to them and was welcomed into the home. At that time, Amy had been married to Rosmore “Ross” Vilardi and their children were reportedly close to Mike and Cathy as well as Violet and Barbara.
Was the Pendleton quadruple homicide ever solved?
The Pendleton quadruple homicide became a cold case for years after it happened. Mike Scott reportedly texted his boss on Sunday, the day of the murder. He informed him that he would report to work on Monday. A relative who frequented the house came over at around 3:30 p.m. on that day. He claimed that he believed no one was home at that time. The autopsies revealed that both Mike and Cathy had large meals about an hour before their death, CBS News reported.
After the murder, Amy Vilardi publicly mourned the death of her parents and grandparents. She also stated that they didn’t deserve whatever happened to them, according to the Independent.
In 2023, Amy Vilardi and her husband Rosmore Vilardi had been charged in the Pendleton quadruple homicide and were arrested. The Vilardis home was on the same property as the Scotts. They renovated Mike and Cathy’s home after the homicide and moved in. Mike and Cathy had been living with their mothers in the house for years by then.
The police, however, did not reveal what the evidence led to Amy and Rosmore Vilardi’s arrest. They said all of the details of the case would come out in court, as per a report by Fox Carolina.
An episode of Cold Justice that follows the Pendleton quadruple homicide will be aired on Oxygen on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET. This episode is the second part of “House of Horrors” from Cold Justice. Part 1 was aired on April 27, 2024.
