Scott Tomaszewski, the 31-year-old neighbor of Richard and Julianne Vilardo, has been charged in the Rockville couple’s killing.
Police announced Sunday they had charged Tomaszweski after detaining him Saturday while on a cruise ship in Juneau, Alaska.
Police say Tomaszweski confessed to the killing after being questioned by police. During questioning, Tomaszewski said he had planned to burglarize the home, according to investigators. Detectives also found evidence possibly linking him to the murder in the cabin of the ship, including blood-stained money that police believe was taken from the Vilardo home.
Tomaszewski has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed robbery and one count of first-degree burglary. The suspect was on the cruise as part of a planned vacation with his parents, according to police.
Richard, 65, and Julianne, 67, were found stabbed to death at their home on Ridge Drive by a relative on May 10.
Police arrested Tomaszweski on the cruise ship six days later with the help of Juneau Police and the FBI.
Police investigate at the Vilardo home on May 11. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
During the investigation of the killings, police determined that Tomaszewski had been given access to the Vilardo home in 1998 as a caretaker when the Vilardos had left for a period of time. During that time, a burglary occurred at their home.
Recent crime analysis also determined that another home in the neighborhood had been burglarized on April 6 and detectives later determined Tomaszewski had pawned items on April 20 taken in the April burglary. Tomaszewski lives on the same street where the Vilardo house is located, according to court records.
At a press conference Sunday, Police Chief Tom Manger said, “We don’t know at this point what his intentions were. I think everybody would have a difficult time making sense of that because it makes no sense.”
The Vilardo family issued a statement shortly after the charges were filed.
“For the past week, we have known the where, the when and the how; now we know who,” the statement reads. “And, while we may never truly understand why, as a result of the work of the police department and the prosecutors’ office, we can take the first step on the long road to healing.”
Police said last week that they believe someone may have entered the home through an unlocked window at the home in the wealthy Glen Hills neighborhood.
Police are now beginning the extradition process for Tomaszewski, who will be brought to Montgomery County for arraignment.
