Is Scott a Nice Guy?

Originally published on SII September 3, 2004.

Thursday, September 2, [2004] I had the privilege of being a guest on CourtTV's Both Sides, with Kimberly and Vinny. This followed last week's guest appearance, August 26, on Trial Heat with Lisa and James.

On the 26th, James asked a question that I wasn't given the opportunity to answer, and on the 2nd, Kimberly made a statement that misrepresents my opinion.

First to James. I had remarked that I thought Scott's "lies" on the January 11 regarding his whereabouts were inconsequential. He asked why I thought so. I think so, James, because a consequential lie would be one that deprived the police of what they needed to know to carry out a search for Laci and an investigation into who was responsible. Where he was on January 11 was inconsequential to the search for Laci or the investigation because he was not engaged in any activity related to her murder or the disposal of her body. 

Now to Kimberly. She noted at the end of the show that I wasn't claiming Scott was a nice guy, i.e. I didn't put up a website named Scott is a nice guy, but one named Scott is innocent. That's not how I feel. 

From what I've learned about Scott, I characterize him as a nice guy who did a bad thing. And no, the bad thing wasn't to murder Laci and Conner. He was tempted to flirt with another woman at a convention, and yielding to that temptation led him down that slippery slope to having an affair. The affair was immoral. It was a sin that he committed against Laci. 

Millions of Americans have yielded to that same temptation -- one that for men seems to be most powerful when their wives are in late stages of pregnancy or just after the birth. No matter how much they love their wives and look forward to being fathers, they feel the impact of a significant loss of their wife's attention. Conner was their first child. Scott would no longer be the center of Laci's attention. Late term pregnancies and newborn babies are very demanding on a woman's energy and loss of sexual interest often results. 

But, by all descriptions from Laci's friends and family, his family, their neighbors, and their common friends, Scott did not stop being a very likable, nice guy when he started the affair with Amber. His personality did not change. He didn't stop doing nice things for the neighbors. Karen Servas testified to the kindness he did for her just the Sunday before Laci's disappearance. He was reaching out to Sharon and Ron to develop a closer relationship with them after he started the affair with Amber. He went to all of Laci's pre-natal appointments after he met Amber, just like he did before. He built Conner's nursery, and he had just received a mortiser to use in projects around the house. He gave Laci everything she wanted, and never, ever even spoke in an angry tone to her. 

The evidence and testimony doesn't show that Scott ceased to love Laci. Rather it shows a man tempted with a short-term fling. In spite of his flirtations with Shawn at the convention, Scott did not eagerly follow-up on Shawn's invitation to meet her friend, Amber. In fact, it took some prodding from her. And, he laid the foundation for the end of the relationship with Amber on the very first date. 

But then something very unexpected and traumatic happened -- something that must have shaken him like a 10.5 earthquake. He came home from a fun trip to the Bay to try out his new boat to find his wife was missing. 

I totally understand his not telling the police about Amber on the 24th. Why drag Amber into the investigation when he had no reason to suspect her because she didn't know about Laci? Why run the risk of having Laci brought back home with everybody knowing about Amber, since she had chosen NOT to tell them herself? She obviously didn't want her family and friends to know about it. Why further upset the family when they had all they could handle just dealing with Laci's disappearance?

I also understand why he continued to keep the secret from everyone as the days and weeks wore on. He was being hounded by the media, and he knew they would do the same with her. As he said so often in the taped conversations, she did not deserve to be involved. Still believing Amber did not know about Laci, why put her through that media hassle? She would lose her privacy and she and Ayianna may even be endangered. And he was right. That's exactly what happened when she was confirmed to be the other woman by MPD. Scott tried to protect her from that, and took it on the chin for doing so.

I repeat: Scott is a nice guy who did a bad thing. We can condemn the adultery and still recognize all the good character traits that he possesses.