Justice for Carol and Les Dotts

Please deny parole for double murderer David Leon Scarbrough,

TOMIS ID # 00286411 Birth Date 02/20/1976, Race White, Sex M.  Parole Hearing Date: 12/09/2021

On February 3, 1995, David Scarbrough and his “friend” Thomas Paul Gagne Jr. broke into my parents’, Carol and Les Dotts, home while their 13-year-old accomplice, Harley Watts, was the lookout.  When my parents came home from going out to dinner, Scarbrough and Gagne emptied a 9mm gun into my parents.  Including a direct shot to my mom's forehead.

Both Scarbrough and Gagne were already well on their way to becoming violent career criminals on the night they viciously murdered two kind, loving, innocent people, Carol and Dotts, my parents.

During my parents’ murder investigation, the convicted felon made a deal based on he told “the truth” about what happened.  It was discovered he had not.  During the murder trial he was asked why he lied to the Knox County Sherriff's Office about what happened.  His response was “I was trying to help the police.”  I think we all know that lying never helps law enforcement, it only hinders them.  But is does help the criminal

In fact, during the numerous pretrial and motion hearings, and the convicted felon's trial for double murder, for which he was convicted, the facts came out; and they were ugly.

These facts include:

1.    The convicted double murderer began using and selling drugs with and for Thomas Gagne Jr. (his friend and co-defendant) in middle school, and then moved on into stealing, carrying and using a gun. He testified to this during his hearings and double murder trial and is a part of court records.  And then, the murder of two innocent people in THEIR HOME.

2.    Carson Leon Scarbrough testified during his son's (the convicted felon) double murder trial that there had been a “shoot-out” between his son and Thomas Gagne Jr. over Gagne’s ex-girlfriend. 

The felon did not inform his parents of the extremely dangerous altercation he and Gagne had; Gagne did.  And for whatever reason, that I cannot even begin to comprehend, Scarbrough's parents accepted Gagne’s apology for the “shoot-out” and made absolutely NO effort to prevent David Scarbrough, their son, from associating with a person who SHOT AT THEIR SON.  And they DID NOT CALL THE POLICE.

3.    The convicted murderer was arrested in 1994 while trying to steal a car, and he had a gun and illegal drugs in his possession. He and his parents convinced the Knox County District Attorney that he had never done anything like that before and never would again.  The felony charges were dropped.  

When the convicted felon, Scarbrough, was testifying during his trial for murdering my parents, the prosecutor asked him what he thought about the charges being dropped the first time he was arrested.  His response was “WOW, I have a great attorney.”  This is a part of court record.  There was NO, “I made a mistake, boy was I lucky, I am so sorry, I’ll never do anything like that again.”  Oh no, none of that, just, “Wow, I have a great attorney.”

4.    The felon’s parents, Carson Leon and Brenda Scarbrough had a conviction for possession while their children were growing up.

So how are we supposed to trust or believe that his family will now hold him accountable for his decisions and actions when they have never did before? And that even if they did, would the convicted felon respect their feelings and decisions and abide by them?  I don't think so.

Some of the felons’ friends and family posted comments on the 2015 change.org petition I created for his first parole hearing, and recently on Facebook, Nextdoor, and the current parole protest petition, condemning me for fighting Scarbrough’s parole.  His aunt said I “HAD” to forgive him, and to “quit picking on him”.  Another relative stated that he was a “child” when he made a “grave mistake”.  The offender was 17 days away from being 19 years of age – he was an adult. 

A mistake is knocking over a class of milk, forgetting to give someone a phone message, or breaking your grandmother’s favorite plate.  What the offender and his accomplice did was a DELIBERATE CHOICE.

The felon and his friends CHOSE to go through Village Green ringing doorbells until they found a house where no one was home.  They CHOSE to break in and they CHOSE to take a 9 mm gun with them so they could use it when they CHOSE to, which they did – repeatedly, including a direct shot to my mom’s forehead from less than 7 inches away.

David Leon Scarbrough has never shown any remorse for destroying my family, for murdering two people who worked hard all their lives, who were actively involved in their community, and who lived their lives by presenting a positive example, not only for me, their daughter, but for my friends as I grew up and became an adult.  They were both loving parents and good friends to me and my husband, Robert Brykalski, and they were responsible loving pet parents to our collies and sheltie.

Ask yourselves, do YOU want David Leon Scarbrough as your next-door neighbor?  Do want this double murderer shopping at the same stores as your children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors?  Do you really want a drug user, drug dealer, thief, liar, and cold-blooded killer in YOUR community? 

Please send a message to not only the law-abiding citizens of our community, state, and country, but to the criminals, that we will not tolerate the drugs, violence, and complete lack of respect and compassion that David Leon Scarbrough and other criminals like him, bring to our communities, streets, and homes. 

We the undersigned are asking that you DENY David Leon Scarbrough’s request for parole. 

We also ask that he not be allowed another parole hearing for at least 6 (six) years.

Just say NO! 

Thank you,

Jeanne Dotts Brykalski and Robert Brykalski

In loving memory Carol and Les Dotts and ALL victims of Violent Crime!

I would like to say THANK YOU in advance to everyone who signs and shares this petition, and also to ask that in your comments you please do not use foul language, not matter how tempting it is.  Thanks.