Philadelphia failed Kada Scott.
You may have heard the heartbreaking story: Kada Scott, a 23-year-old Penn State nursing student, told family and friends she was being harassed before she went missing on her way to work on October 4.
Her body was found two weeks later.
It has since come to light that the 21-year-old man arrested for Scott’s murder could have been stopped earlier. According to reports, he was charged with breaking into a different woman’s home and attempting to strangle her. A month later, police say, he returned with a gun, kidnapped, and assaulted her.
He appeared in court for the strangulation charge twice, but according to reports, “no one in the courtroom seemed to know he was wanted for kidnapping.” Prosecutors were “seemingly unaware that police said he had recently attacked their key witness” and “police did not go to either hearing to take him into custody, and do not appear to have alerted the prosecutor about the new arrest warrant.”
The initial charges were dropped when the victim did not appear in court.
As a social worker and Client Advocate at the Women’s Law Project, I speak every day with people trying to find safety and justice for themselves and their children. I understand why so many survivors feel unsafe engaging with the criminal legal system—and see firsthand the many ways that system continues to fail them.
On Tuesday December 8, Philadelphia City Council will hold an all-day hearing on how Philadelphia can strengthen its response to domestic violence. WLP Client Advocate Davina Scott will be testifying on behalf of WLP.
The hearings will be livestreamed. You can watch here.
There is no single easy solution, but there are meaningful ways Philadelphia can reallocate resources, improve its response, and better support people experiencing stalking, harassment, and abuse—so we can prevent tragedies like the murder of Kada Scott.
