Robert Leonard Ewing Scott
Encyclopedia
Robert Leonard Ewing Scott (1897-15 August 1987) was an American convicted murderer. Scott was convicted in 1959, in California
, of having murdered his wife; the case was one of the first to establish a "bodyless" murder, that is, a murder in which no body had been discovered to bear out that there had been a crime committed.
In July, 1955, Leonard Scott began a relationship with a divorcée named Harriet Livermore.
On March 5, 1956, Evelyn's brother Raymond Throsby, suspicious of Leonard, reported Evelyn's disappearance to the police, beginning the investigation.
Having been indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury
on 13 counts of forgery and theft, but released on $25,000 bail, Scott fled to Canada
. He was arrested a year later, on April 9, 1957, when Canadian customs authorities stopped him as he was re-entering Canada after a visit to Detroit to buy a car. During his absence, the grand jury had produced an additional indictment against Scott for murder.
Although Evelyn's body was never found, her dentures, eyeglasses, and some of her personal items were found among buried ashes near the incinerator on the couple's estate located at 217 North Bentley Ave., in the affluent Bel Air community of Los Angeles.
Scott's case was groundbreaking, as it was the first case in U.S. history of someone being convicted of murder purely on circumstantial evidence
, without the victim's body having been located.
After being convicted of the murder, Scott was given a life sentence. In December 1959, the appeals court upheld his conviction, despite his complaint that the original trial court had failed to establish corpus delicti
.http://altlaw.org/v1/cases/386918
Ewing was released in 1978. Parole was offered in 1974, but Ewing refused, claiming that it did not apply, as he was being wrongfully held. After his release, he admitted that he had committed the murder. He died in 1987 at age 91.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/12/ewing-scott-gui.htmlhttp://www.snopes.com/legal/nobody.asp
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, of having murdered his wife; the case was one of the first to establish a "bodyless" murder, that is, a murder in which no body had been discovered to bear out that there had been a crime committed.
The Marriage
L. Ewing Scott, and his wife Evelyn Throsby Scott http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,868087,00.html (né Mumper), having met at a society party and married in Mexico, shared a considerable wealth that Evelyn possessed prior to their marriage. After five years of marriage, on May 16, 1955, Evelyn went missing. Concerned friends were given various explanations by Scott- that Evelyn had been hospitalized, or had run off.In July, 1955, Leonard Scott began a relationship with a divorcée named Harriet Livermore.
On March 5, 1956, Evelyn's brother Raymond Throsby, suspicious of Leonard, reported Evelyn's disappearance to the police, beginning the investigation.
The Investigation and Trial
Los Angeles police arrested Scott and charged him with forgery and fraud for the looting of his wife’s bank accounts after they visited Evelyn's safe deposit boxes and found only envelopes filled with sand, as Leonard had withdrawn large sums from Evelyn's safe deposit boxes and deposited those funds in his own accounts.Having been indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on 13 counts of forgery and theft, but released on $25,000 bail, Scott fled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was arrested a year later, on April 9, 1957, when Canadian customs authorities stopped him as he was re-entering Canada after a visit to Detroit to buy a car. During his absence, the grand jury had produced an additional indictment against Scott for murder.
Although Evelyn's body was never found, her dentures, eyeglasses, and some of her personal items were found among buried ashes near the incinerator on the couple's estate located at 217 North Bentley Ave., in the affluent Bel Air community of Los Angeles.
Scott's case was groundbreaking, as it was the first case in U.S. history of someone being convicted of murder purely on circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence is evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact, like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime...
, without the victim's body having been located.
After being convicted of the murder, Scott was given a life sentence. In December 1959, the appeals court upheld his conviction, despite his complaint that the original trial court had failed to establish corpus delicti
Corpus delicti
Corpus delicti is a term from Western jurisprudence referring to the principle that a crime must have been proven to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime. For example, a person cannot be tried for larceny unless it can be proven that property has been stolen...
.http://altlaw.org/v1/cases/386918
Ewing was released in 1978. Parole was offered in 1974, but Ewing refused, claiming that it did not apply, as he was being wrongfully held. After his release, he admitted that he had committed the murder. He died in 1987 at age 91.http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2007/12/ewing-scott-gui.htmlhttp://www.snopes.com/legal/nobody.asp
Sources
- Diane Wagner, Corpus Delcti: The True Story of L. Ewing Scott, Convicted of Murder Without a Confession or a Corpse.
- The Lady Vanishes, Time Magazine, Jan. 6, 1958
- Estate of Scott (1960) 181 CA2d 605
- Murder in Bel Air, markgribben.com, 3/1/2006
See also
- Corpus delictiCorpus delictiCorpus delicti is a term from Western jurisprudence referring to the principle that a crime must have been proven to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime. For example, a person cannot be tried for larceny unless it can be proven that property has been stolen...
- John George HaighJohn George HaighJohn George Haigh , commonly known as the "Acid Bath Murderer" , was an English serial killer during the 1940s. He was convicted of the murders of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine...