The man charged with killing his neighbors in Rockville earlier this year before setting off on an Alaskan cruise is scheduled to receive an MRI later this month before his case proceeds.
Scott Tomaszewski, 31, was charged in May with the Mother’s Day killing of 65-year-old Richard and 67-year-old Julianne Vilardo. The Vilardos were the next-door neighbors of Tomaszewski, who lived with his parents on Ridge Drive in Rockville.
“Our expert has reviewed Scott’s medical history and determined that Scott may have suffered some significant brain injury prior to the alleged crimes,” John Kudel, Tomaszewski’s lawyer, said in an email. “He needs an MRI to make that determination.”
Prosecutors have said Tomaszewski stabbed Richard Vilardo 42 times and Julianne Vilardo eight times in what they described as a brutal murder that was touched off after Tomaszewski allegedly entered the home to burglarize it by cutting a screen on a window during the early morning hours of May 10. Jewelry and other items were also taken from the home, police reported.
Tomaszewski has not yet entered a plea in the case, although police said he confessed to the murders during an interview with investigators after he was pulled off of an Alaskan cruise ship May 16. He was on the ship with his parents, who were celebrating their retirement, according to prosecutors.
On Friday, Judge John W. Debelius III granted the request from Kudel to have Tomaszewski transported to a medical facility for the MRI. Tomaszewski, who is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, appeared in court in a green jumpsuit and did not speak.
Kudel, who previously indicated he may pursue a mental health defense in the case, said he will determine how to proceed with the case based on the test results.
A five-day jury trial in the case is scheduled for Jan. 25 while another pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Dec. 21. Prosecutors are seeking a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole in the case.
The Vilardo home in Rockville where the alleged murders took place. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
