Suspect Charged in Murders of Mother and Daughter

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Prince George's County State's Attorney, Glenn Ivey joined us to discuss the case (VIDEO #2)

27-year-old Jason Scott grew up on Pritchard Lane in Upper Marlboro. His alleged victims, Dolores Dewitt and her daughter Ebony, lived less than a mile away from Scott. They would not have known they were living near a man police now call a serial killer.

Chief Roberto Hylton says Scott was a methodical predator who chose his victims carefully.

"This individual is a very bad person. I will tell you that. We think we have just begun a long journey and is, in my opinion, going to take us beyond the borders of Prince George's County," said Hylton.

Police say Scott is now a suspect in at least five murders. On Tuesday, he was indicted in two of those murders, the March 2009 killngs of the Dewitts.

"I hope that this indictment will help to bring some sense of calm to the community,” said State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey. “I know there's been a lot of concerns and a lot of questions I get when I go around the county and I hope that this will begin to address that for them."

The cases were called the “Mother-Daughter Murders.” Karen and Karissa Lofton were both shot and killed in January, 2009. Then about six weeks later, the bodies of Dolores Dewitt and her 19-year-old daughter Ebony were found in the trunk of a stolen car that had been set on fire.

Tuesday's indictment is in the Dewitt case, but police confirm that Scott is also a suspect in the Lofton murders as well as the murder of Vilma Butler. She was shot inside her Bowie home in 2008. The killer set the house on fire. All that is left is a vacant lot.

Back in Upper Marlboro, neighbors say Scott comes from a good family, but they were aware of him having a criminal history from a fairly young age. One neighbor says he has known Scott since childhood.

"If you sat down with him, he'd make you like him. He's very smart," said the neighbor.

Scott has a bachelor's degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland University College. Police say he worked for UPS and that his work was a "core" piece of this investigation.

Chief Hylton said his department has been contacted by several other agencies who are also investigating murders that could possibly be connected to Scott. The chief says they will be looking at these cases for "years.”