In the quiet suburban neighborhood of Largo, Maryland, a horrific tragedy unfolded in the early morning hours of January 26, 2009. Sixteen-year-old Karissa Olivia Lofton and her 45-year-old mother, Karen Lofton, were brutally murdered inside their home on Southall Drive. The devastating event began to unfold shortly after 2 a.m. when Karissa made a desperate and whispered 911 call, reporting that an intruder had shot both her and her mother. Despite her bravery, help would not arrive in time.
When police entered the home through an unlocked window, they discovered both Karissa and her mother had succumbed to their injuries in the upper portion of their house.
The initial investigation into the double homicide left detectives with few leads. There were no signs of forced entry, and nothing appeared to be stolen from the home, which initially led police to believe the perpetrator was someone who knew the victims. However, this theory would later be upended as the case grew colder. The lack of forensic evidence at the scene further complicated the efforts of law enforcement to identify a suspect in the seemingly random and senseless act of violence that had shattered a family and instilled fear in the community.
A break in the case came as investigators began to connect the Lofton murders to a disturbing pattern of similar crimes in Prince George's County. Another mother and daughter, Delores and Ebony Dewitt, were found murdered just weeks later, their bodies discovered in a burning car. This led police to consider the terrifying possibility of a serial killer targeting mothers and daughters. The investigation eventually zeroed in on Jason Thomas Scott, a 27-year-old UPS worker who lived near both families. It was discovered that Scott had been using his job to gather information about his victims.
Jason Thomas Scott was arrested and charged with a string of violent crimes, including multiple murders and home invasions. While Scott was indicted for the murders of Delores and Ebony Dewitt, prosecutors made a strategic decision not to charge him in the Lofton case as part of a plea agreement. In 2013, Scott entered an Alford plea for the Dewitt murders, acknowledging that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him without admitting guilt. He was sentenced to 85 years for those slayings. This was in addition to a 100-year federal prison sentence he had already received for a multitude of other crimes, including dozens of armed home invasions and burglaries. Though the charges in the Lofton case were dropped as part of the plea deal, law enforcement remains confident that they removed a ruthless killer from the streets, bringing a measure of closure to the families of all his victims.
