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ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An Anderson County couple stood before the court on Thursday morning, facing charges related to the 2015 murders of four family members. The session aimed to determine if the couple would face a joint trial.
Amy and Rosmore Vilardi spent the entire day in court, where the judge ultimately decided they would undergo separate trials.
The couple, arrested in 2023, is accused of murdering Barbara Scott, Amy’s stepfather Mike, Amy’s mother Cathy, and her grandmother Violet Taylor.
The tragic events occurred over a decade ago on Halloween.
Greg Shore, the Anderson County Coroner, was involved immediately following the incident.
“It’s just tragic and something that we don’t see here in Anderson County very often. The last time we had four people killed, involved in homicide was in 2007, 2008,” he said.
In a 2015 interview with the Vilardis, recounted to 7NEWS when the family members were found dead.
“They were wonderful people,” Amy said. “They were good people. They would do anything for anybody. They just didn’t deserve this.”
In court Thursday, both of the Vilardi’s defense attorneys asked for the couple to have their own trials.
Law enforcement does not have enough evidence to say they allegedly acted together, and they claim it’s unfair to say “hand of one hand of all.”
Prosecutors said the theory the state is putting forward is that Amy and Rosmore acted together based on their statements made to law enforcement.
The defense has claimed that law enforcement painted the couple as suspects from the start but do not have substantial proof.
Prosecutors added that money may have been the motive for the alleged killings after finding thousands of dollars inside the Vilardi home.
The victims’ families were in court but did not want to speak.
The judge said the suspects will have separate trials. Amy Vilardi will be tried first; the trial is set for Monday, February 23. The judge also said the state must receive a complete witness list by the end of the business day Friday.