The Murder of Ashley (Pittman) Scott
Warning, this case does discuss domestic violence and abuse.
For this case, I watched an episode of American Monster. It’s season 8 episode 1, titled ‘Tell Me You Love Me.’
A beloved high school English teacher is killed in her home.
Background
Ashley Pittman was born on November 4, 1978. When Ashley’s mom, Donna met Jimmy Pittman, she was already pregnant with Ashley. Jimmy had a 5-year-old daughter named Keica. Jimmy said that he adopted Ashley, and loved her from the second she was born.
Donna left the family a few years later, and got remarried. Ashley stayed behind, but would see her mom on occasion. After high school, Ashley attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. Ashley met her future husband, Jeffrey Scott, while attending school. They got married on June 9, 2001, and moved to the Memphis suburb of Cordova, Tennessee.
Ashley was described as beautiful, bubbly, and someone that could make friends with anyone.
Ashley Pittman Scott
Ashley and Jeffrey
The Isolation
Shortly before Ashley and Jeffrey got married, Ashley had sent her sister a letter in June of 2000. In the letter, Ashley told Keica that she couldn’t communicate with them anymore, and that they needed to respect her wishes.
Keica and Jimmy weren’t invited to the wedding. Ashley’s closest friends said that they didn’t know anyone at the wedding, and that everyone there was part of Jeffrey’s world.
After they moved to Tennessee, Jeffrey worked at his father’s IT company, and Ashley worked as a high school English teacher. Ashley loved to read, and write, and her students loved her.
In September 2006, Ashley went back to Louisiana, to attend her 10 year high school reunion. Ashley’s friends hadn’t seen her in awhile, and said that Ashley was her usual self. However, Jeffrey called Ashley a lot during the time she was in her hometown. Jeffrey would ask her what she wearing, or who she was with. Jeffrey seemed very agitated.
After the reunion, Ashley didn't speak to her friends for several weeks.
The 911 Call
Just a few weeks before she died, Ashley had called her friend, Lori. Ashley made the phone call from a closet, and told Lori that she and Jeffrey had gotten into an argument. Lori said she had no idea that Ashley and Jeffrey had this type of marriage.
On November 24, 2006, Jeffrey called 911 at 3:46pm. In the call, Jeffrey said Ashley was unconscious, and had been that way since that about 11am that morning.
The dispatcher was in disbelief, but Jeffrey said that his friend, Roger McGee, was a doctor, and was with him. On the 911 call, Dr. McGee, says “she's dead.”
The dispatcher could be heard talking to someone, saying that was the most shocking 911 call she had ever heard, and was very upset by it.
The EMS arrived soon after the 911 call, and found Dr. McGee performing CPR on Ashley in an upstairs bedroom. It was clear that she was dead, and that she had been beaten.
Jeffrey’s Lies
Jeffrey had told the police that he had seen a text message on Ashley’s cell phone, and was upset by it. Jeffrey admitted to striking Ashley, but said that she tripped and fell because she had a lot to drink. Ashley had been arrested in 2005 for a DUI.
Jeffrey said that the argument had started the night before, and he kicked Ashley out the house. He had left her in the garage, and went to check on her the next morning. He then found her unconscious, and took her back inside, eventually carrying her to the upstairs bedroom. Jeffrey contacted his friend, Dr. McGee, who was the one who told him to call 911.
The police weren't buying it. Ashley was bruised from head to toe, which is what the autopsy report said. When she was found, she had blood coming from her nose, ear, and a split lip. Ashley’s autopsy revealed that she had a fractured skull, brain swelling, and a shoe print had been found on her torso. It was clear she had been beaten and stomped to death.
Jeffrey Scott was arrested on the scene, and charged with aggravated assault. The charges were then upgraded to first degree murder.
The Motive
The police obtained Ashley’s phone records. This is when they learned that Ashley had contacted her friend, Lori, a week before she died.
Ashley also had learned that Jeffrey had invited sex workers to his home while she had been away at the high school reunion. Jeffrey had also had an affair with a co-worker named Blair Brown. Blair and Ashley had also been friends at one point.
Blair told the police that she had seen Jeffrey abuse Ashley. Once her affair with Jeffrey ended, she and Ashley had rekindled their friendship. Ashley had gone to Blair’s to get away from Jeffrey, but Jeffrey found her. Jeffrey kicked in the door, and struck Ashley.
The autopsy had revealed that there were several older injuries on Ashley’s body. It was clear that Jeffrey had always been abusive, or had been for some time.
The day before Ashley died, she had met with her divorce attorney. Her attorney told her to pack her things and leave. Ashley had been packing for awhile, and her clothing was found in the trunk of her car. Ashley told her attorney that felt compelled to tell Jeffrey she was leaving.
The Conviction
At Jeffrey’s trial, the prosecution talked about the timeline of the murder. It was clear that the argument had started in the living room, as a broken vase had been found. Ashley was beaten all throughout the house, and left behind blood in almost every room. They said Ashley had been unconscious for 12-15 hours before Jeffrey called 911.
On January 19, 2009, Jeffrey Scott was convicted of second degree murder. It was a vote of 12-1 in favor of first degree murder, but in Tennessee, it has to be an unanimous vote to convict someone of first degree murder. The judge criticized the jury for not coming up with the verdict of first degree murder. Ashley’s family was also not happy with the results.
Jeffrey was sentenced to 25 years without the possibility of parole.
It’s clear that Jeffrey isolated Ashley from everyone. He convinced, even brainwashed her into thinking her family wasn't good enough to be part of their life.
Jimmy said he wishes he could hear Ashley tell him she loved him one more time.
Jeffrey Scott
FINAL THOUGHTS
This case is heartbreaking. Ashley was finally going to leave her abuser, but like the kind person she was described as being, she felt compelled to explained why she was leaving. Jeffrey is a sack of shit, and deserves to be in prison, so that he will never hurt anyone else. It’s clear from the 911 call that he didn’t care about Ashley. If he couldn’t have her, or control her, then she had to die.
U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233
Sources
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/shreveporttimes/name/ashley-scott-obituary?id=26130183
https://thecinemaholic.com/ashley-scott-murder-where-is-jeffrey-scott-now/
http://parentalalienation.blogspot.com/2009/01/ashley-scott-murder-trial-in-memphis.html
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2190243/posts
