Shelbyville man sentenced to 30 years in connection with girlfriend’s death
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A Shelbyville man convicted in connection to the death and disappearance of his girlfriend was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison.
But under the terms of his plea agreement, Scott Schuck could get out of prison sooner if he’s granted a sentence modification after 24 years.
Last month, Schuck pleaded guilty to aiding in voluntary manslaughter and being a habitual felony offender in connection to the death of his former girlfriend, Rebecca Cassidy.
Cassidy went missing in April of 2010. Her whereabouts were a mystery for four years until her remains were discovered in Schuck’s backyard in July of 2014.
While court records show Schuck initially confessed to shoving and later strangling Cassidy to death, his defense attorneys turned that narrative on its ear last month – alleging that his confession was obtained illegally by investigators who a continued to interrogate Schuck even after they knew he had retained an attorney, according to Schuck’s attorneys.
Beyond that, Schuck’s defense team alleged that it was Scott Schuck’s mother, Wilma, who hit Cassidy over the head with a frying pan during an argument in April of 2010.
Schuck re-iterated that story during a recent exclusive jailhouse interview with 24 Hour News 8, admitting that he did help dispose of Cassidy’s body.
“It just got the best of her,” Schuck said. “She picked up the frying pan and cracked her – hit her real hard.
“I went out back, dug a hole and laid (Rebecca) in it,” Schuck said during that interview.
When asked what was going through his mind, he replied: “God forgive me.”
But that’s not all Schuck said.
During that interview, Schuck raised serious allegations against others that he claims help explain why he remained silent about Rebecca’s death and whereabouts for four years. Those allegations were never read in open court, and were sealed and found to be inadmissible.
“I don’t think there is any truth to them, period,” Special Prosecutor Stephen Koester told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday. “Early on, I took the stance that those matters were not relevant and the court ruled in our favor on that issue.”
Schuck reportedly wanted to discuss those allegations in court Wednesday, but was admonished by Special Judge Richard Culver not to do so or he would be found in contempt.
Schuck agreed and then turned to the Cassidy’s family members and said, “A lot has gone on these last four years – a lot of heartache. I truly loved Rebecca. I look at all of you and I see your pain and sorrow. I want you to know that I loved her and I wished the truth would come out.”
He later added, “I could never do that. I loved her.”
Schuck’s co-defense counsel, Andy Baldwin, said that Schuck has been “frustrated by the process.”
“The fact that there was an independent state police investigation into our client’s allegations, we thought, gave us a very good basis to pursue that,” said Mark Kamish, Schuck’s co-defense attorney.
But because the case never went to trial, it’s unlikely that those allegations will surface, both Kamish and Baldwin concede. As part of the plea agreement, Wilma Schuck will not be charged.
After the hearing, Cassidy’s son, Ethan Spencer, said he was glad that the case was behind him and that the family would get some closure.
“I just hope he thinks about what he’s done and that he regrets it every day of his sentence,” Spencer said.
Rebecca Cassidy’s sister, Tammy, told 24 Hour News 8 that the fact that Schuck might serve less than 30 years is a “hard pill to swallow.”
“I think he is just a common felon who can’t take responsibility for what his actions,” she said. “It’s a blame game. It’s unbelievable.
“I am not happy,” she said. “I believe that if you take a life, you pay for it – with your life.”
