Murder In The Neighborhood - Lafayette, California

Small Town Murder

A deep dive into the 2005 murder of Pamela Vitali in Lafayette, California, where her husband, high-profile defense attorney Daniel Horowitz, was convicted of her murder. The case features a controversial trial, questionable evidence, and an ongoing debate over the innocence of the convicted man, Scott Dyleski, who was sentenced as a juvenile for the crime. The podcast explores the town's affluent

Key takeaways

• Lafayette, CA, is a wealthy, predominantly white town with a median income over $97k.
• Pamela Vitali was murdered in 2005; her husband, Daniel Horowitz, was convicted but the case remains controversial.
• Scott Dyleski, a teenager at the time, was sentenced to life without parole despite claims of innocence and questionable evidence.

Transcript preview

Hello everybody and welcome back to Small Town Murder Express. Yay and Choo Choo! Yeah, indeed, my name. My name is James Petrigal, I'm here with my co-host. I'm Jimi, and I'm Jimmy, I'm today on another absolutely insane edition of Small Town Murder Express and this one, oh boy, it fits the, it fits the bill perfectly, it's nuts, it's wild, 10 pounds of murder and a two pound bag. We'll get into all that and more. Very quickly though, top of the show here, shut up and give me murder.com. Oh yeah. Get all your tickets there, first of all, tons of new merch there too, so check that out. But tickets, tickets, Go ahead and get your tickets now. Then the next night, State Theater in Minneapolis, get your tickets for that, September 19th. Get those now. Milwaukee's currently beating you Minneapolis and I know you don't care for that. I know you don't want Wisconsin to beat you at anything. So let's up the game there. And then we have Dallas on October 3rd and then later on in October, San Jose Sacramento and then November Terrytown Boston. So that's shut up and give me murder.com where you get all that stuff and more. two shows crime in sports we have a long series going on about the yawe banyaway cult and all their many many murders and that's crazy and then your stupid opinions come on you got to hear that you got to hear it's so funny it's just hilarious then get yourself patreon everybody do a favor for yourself patreon dot com slash crime in sports is where you get all the bonus material all you have to be is five dollars a month or above and you get every damn second of second. Every ounce. Yeah, we like to we like to measure our output and weight is how we like to do it. So volume. Volume, pure volume. So do we do water displacement tests really to make it perfect? Yeah. So, uh, Patreon.com slash crime in sports. five dollars a month or above you get everything we put out including as soon as you subscribe. Hundreds of backbonus episodes you've never heard before. New ones every other week. One crime in sports, one small town murder. I was well. This week what you get here is for crime and sports we're going to do hostage situations part two because the first one was just so damn fun we were like okay we need more and we had another shows worth on our notes so we said let's do that then for small town murder it's prisoner dating game time everybody need we say more it's prisoner dating game time you know you want to sign up for that four bachelorets four bachelors I line them up for Jimmy the only thing they have in common is they're all incarcerated for a very long time. 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I think it's time everybody let's do this let's all sit back clear the lungs here what do you say arms to the sky let's all shout shut up and give me murder let's do this everybody okay let's go on a trip shall we let's do it yeah going to California this week lovely California northern California and all that's real nice this is Lafayette California sure the Bay Area in north and west you don't want to go northeast no no that you end up in nothing yeah north coast fine in the middle of nowhere yeah let's stay close to the water is what I'm saying yeah I don't get too inland you don't want to do that so northern California by where we will be by the way in October on the 16th and 17th and San Jose in Sacramento so get your tickets for that it shut up and But Northern California, it's about 35 minutes to San Francisco. About three hours and 15 minutes over to Reno and four hours to Springville, California, our last episode there, which was episode 667, the most interesting murderer in the world. Remember he had always, that was a wild one man, that guy was nuts. This is in Contra Costa County. Which is very hard to, it's very... Yeah. Tra Costa County. here only 25,384. So it's small to be outside of the major cities, you know, that close to it, 35 minutes, mainly because it's expensive as we'll get into here. Of course it is. Wow, median household income here, 97,946, which is about 30 grand above the national average, but nowhere near what you need to deal with this house cost here. This is insane. $1,600.00. Median! That's the median. One in three quarters. Holy crap. That's. Wow. Now a little bit of history. This country is about a million three short of that. Yeah. No shit. So history. It was named after the Marquis de Lafayette. It was a French military officer of the American Revolutionary War. The name Lafayette came together with the community's first post office in 1857 The owner and manager of a hotel and general store applied for a post office for the community at first he wanted to call it Centerville Yeah And then they told him there's already a Centerville in California You can't have that. Yeah, what do you think you're the first one who thought of that? You're not even in the center of anything? Makes no sense Do you want to call the street that goes right up the middle? Do you want to call that? Is this an outside the box idea that you have? This little theory. So he suggested Lafayette and they said, yeah, right, fine. And also his. There's one in Louisiana, but all right. That's fine. Well, his wife was from Lafayette, Indiana, so. And there's one Indiana too. They went back and forth with the spelling. In 1857, it was La F. was Lafayette, one word, lowercase. Then a little bit later, by 1890, it was Lafayette officially changed. Oh, I'm sorry, before that, they made it two words. La Fayette. Then they changed it back to Lafayette. Then by 1905, it was back to two words again. Good Lord. And then finally in 1932, the post office was officially changed to one word Lafayette, lowercase F, and that's what it's remained for the last hundred years or so. So. of this town it has 4.2 stars on niche which not bad that's pretty good they have there's nothing under three stars it's all three four or five so here's all wealthy people that are happy yeah it's what you know what are you complaining about my neighbor's house is bigger than mine I know it costs a little bit more than I wanted to pay yeah other than that with that comes some benefit yeah here's five stars Lafayette is very good I like every part of it and lifestyle of everything. Everything is great. I've never had that in a review before. Every Legos. Yeah, everything is wonderful. I guess when you have 1.8 million dollar houses, I guess you go, everything is great. We can all afford to live in fucking 1.8 million dollar houses. We're all paying for 1.8 million dollars every day. We're doing great. Doing fantastic. Here's three stars. We'll do this one quick here. I've never lived in Lafayette. in that city since I was seven years old. Being Caucasian in such a white rich community was tough at times. The only reason I put this review in here is because I don't understand. Being white in a community of rich white people is tough at times. I know it must have been brutal for you. Blending in and all that lack of seasoning. Yes, yeah. Yeah. No diarrhea. very plain boneless skinless chicken breasts yes I made a few friends in my grade school through high school years but overall people are not as welcoming and open to outsiders and newcomers especially if you don't live there yeah that's how rich neighborhoods are oh this guy was looking for some ethnicity it looks like some culture it's wanted something here academics are extracurriculars have their flaws a lot of favoritism too much pressure within the children parents tend to be too competitive and hard on their children Yeah, it's rich people. A lot of sailing clubs. Yeah, this person's like, you know, slums of Beverly Hills over here. Just, you know, on the border of the school district to go to a good school and they know that he's not one of them. That's what it is. Things to do here, okay, the Lafayette Wine and Arts Festival. Sure. And over in last year, 2025, over 75,000 people were there. Fuck, fuck. Everybody's fascinated with how rich people live. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, we all. We all. We all. We all. And this is like you know local food and micro bruise and wine and all that kind of shit like that sounds like a fun day so we put up with Robin Leach's horrible accent just to see what how fucking Oprah grills stakes Yeah just to yeah we put up with that what is that Australian English it's in between it's a mess I don't even know what it's like it's like it's like it's like This house costs three billion dollars. This house should make you feel like a loser. You feel like a you limp dick fuck look at this house. That's a real man lives there you pub you're fucking punk. Gargles some salt Robin calm down. There's also music you get Jimbo Scott and yesterday's Biscuits. That's a band. It's a good name. It's a good name. that Midnight Rider was already taken by the Alman Brothers. It's really upset. Or Midnight Oil. Or Midnight Oil, yeah, they're like, damn it, it's all taken. East Bay mud with 2D's, charged particles. So, ions, basically. Freestone Peaches, the big jangle. Yeah. Okay. Maybe my favorite name of all time. Lonesome Eddie and the saddle sores. the saddle sores. S-O-R-E-S he's got saddle so. Poor Eddie is his fucking blistered ass. Oh poor Eddie, you poor bastard. So that said, let's talk about some murder here. What do you say? Here we go. Okay, we got a wild case here. Let's start out in 1994 and then we'll work our way up because the whole murder thing happens a little bit later, 2005-ish. So let's start out with a man, an East Bay lawyer. Daniel Horowitz his name, okay? East Bay Criminal Defense Attorney. Nice. And always on TV as a like talking head legal analyst. He's one of those guys. So he's like talking about the case and defending the person that's on trial or like giving an analysis analysis. Yeah, if Nancy Grace is talking about Casey Anthony he'll come on and talk about the legalities of it and how you defend it and that kind of shit. Talk about how sometimes if you hit a raccoon it makes your trunk stink. Right, and Henry Hill. I hit a raccoon, Karen, right? I hit a skunk, Karen, all right? So it's not a raccoon, but he could have made it a raccoon. So he defended murderers, drug dealers, you know, criminal defense attorney. Isn't that what she said she hit with that fucking sunfire? Yes, yes, she said she hit the raccoon. Yeah, I just brought it back to Henry Hill, I always do. I was on the right. You know, you had it right for her. Now, this, this, he became real, he became real, she became real big, she hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She hit the right. She said she hit the right. She said she hit the right. She said she hit the right. She said she hit the right. She said she hit the right. He's a bear, a defense attorney. Nancy Grace loves him. He's on the show all the time with her. And he's also, poor bastard. And he's also a regular with Dan Abrams, who I actually think is pretty good. He does a good job. He's the live TV guy. He's a little pompous, but he's good. But he's been doing a lot for like, you see old clips and you're like, is that fucking Dan Abrams? How long is that's an old man. And he's the way he dresses? Is that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's She calls him a haunted puppet and I'm like that's exactly what he looks like a haunted puppet That's perfect his face looks very plastic It really does yeah like a like a ventriloquist dummy yeah So he is he's very theatrical very ego to he's a defense attorney a big time defense attorney those guys happen usually or have a little swagger to them sure he always carries a gun to because being a defense attorney He's a defense attorney. He's a defense attorney. He's a defense attorney and a high profile one enemies. And also just people, not even if you don't win. If you do win, then there's a lot of people mad at you. I'm going to kill you for getting somebody off. In 1994, he's shopping a screenplay around, which is strange. This is before he was like on TV as a lawyer all the time. So. True story one? Yeah, I'm not sure. Screenplay. I just picture the warden from Arrest Development, James Lipton there. screenplay all the time. But that's what he's doing and he's down in Hollywood trying to pitch his his screenplay and he meets a lady down there. Oh yeah. A lady that he really likes about the same age as him here. This is Pamela Vitali, V I T A L E. She is born about 1953 so when they meet she's about 40 and so is he. You know about the same age. She is a marketing executive. She is born about 40. She is a marketing executive. tech company type things in the bay area. Oh no she's yeah she's not a she's not somebody not a Hollywood gal not a Hollywood party girl not looking for some lawyer screen writer she doesn't need that shit she's got her own shit she's even she produces independent films as well she's got like money and interest in that sort of thing and gets into a lot of projects one of her friends said Pamela is just the sweetest nicest most selfless woman you'd ever want to know And she's got two kids from a previous relationship, Marissa and Mario. Something tells me she was married to an Italian guy. What's where Vitali came from? Yeah. I know a couple Vitali's growing up, big fat guineas. So that's how it works. Mario Vitali does not sound anything but. No, you're a vet. Or Marissa too. Marissa Vitali is like, holy shit. So yeah, she has two previous kids. Daniel's fine with that. They're almost grown at this point anyway anyway. And they're So they get together in 1994 and hook up and I think 93 they get together by 1994 they're both met they're married to each other how they're both from the Bay Area why not high-powered couple is what they are She does her thing he does his thing by 2005 She is managing databases at his law practice and the her main project and both of their main projects is a house that they're building Oh, oh boy. Nightmare. Oh, oh man. Yeah, just building it, not remodeling it. Building it. Redo one room in your house and have a divorce lawyer on a bathroom. Unfucking. Yeah, not even the kitchen. Redo the half bath that's somewhere. Redo that and you'll kill each other. It's horrible. Redo the closet. see if that asshole doesn't make you want to put a 38 to us head. Not even an outlet in the closet. No, no electricity. One overhead and that's it. So how about they're building a 7,000 square foot house? That's so much house. 7,000 square foot house overlooking a canyon in Lafayette. They're doing great. And it's like an exclusive area of Lafayette. Like they are killing it money-wise. In the fall of 2005 here though they were I guess for a little while they were living in a trailer on the on the property while it was being built They were living as like a manufactured home here and it was parked right there at the property this is on Hunsaker Hunsacker Canyon Road and it's big trees and rocks and it's beautiful by fall of 2005 Daniel has a high-profile trial name Susan Polk. I never heard of her? P-O-K. No. She was in Arinda, California. She was a housewife accused of stabbing her psychotherapist husband to death in 2002. Yeah, which is interesting. I can't imagine that relationship goes very easily either. Well, I, it's, it's, the guy deserves something, not saying he deserves to be stabbed, but they met when she was 14 years old and was sent to him. him as a patient because she had panic attacks. So I don't like that at all. A 14 even if they met in any other circumstance not okay and B a therapist should never go out with their patient ever even 20 years later you don't do that it's not ethical at all that feels very grooming yeah you can a therapist that's the most grooming relationship of all time totally. Especially since she was so young. She's 14 and completely under his care you know what I mean you're. later for that. You have to trust a therapist, you know? Yeah. Wow. So... And also, if she, if, if she is like lashed out in a fit of psychosis, he should have known. That's a job, man. He didn't do a very good fucking job, fixing her up. Terrible, terrible, therapist. She was still there. So you're a pervert and a bad therapist, so I don't know. And now he's dead. He was stabbed 27 times. Fuck that's a lot. She claims self-defense. The prosecution, the prosecution, the estate and it turned into a big giant mess obviously and Daniel Horowitz is the guy retained by Susan Polk to defend her it's a big high profile case so Saturday October 15th 2005 Daniel he's been doing this for weeks he's working he's in the middle of this case he leaves the trailer that they're living in at 8 a.m. Pamela's still asleep he gets up he meets with his team the legal team he runs some errands he goes to the gym he goes to the gym he picks up some groceries he picks up some groceries as a day basically he keeps trying to call Pamela during the day but she's not picking up the phone so he said oh who knows you know she's going to a ballet that evening she's probably busy I don't know they're both busy people so if they play phone tag not a big deal a lot of shit going on so six p.m. Daniel pulls into the driveway and you know long day