The Case of James (Skip) Scandirito Sr.

James "Skip" Scandirito Sr., 74, was a retired Michigan judge living in Boca Raton, Florida, when he disappeared from his home on March 31, 2018. His son, James "Jimmy" Scandirito Jr., reported him missing, but investigators soon found inconsistencies in his account. Human remains were discovered at the abandoned Ocean Breeze Golf Club and were identified as Skip's. His body had been dismembered and several parts, including his head and limbs, were never recovered. Jimmy was charged with murder but was acquitted. He was convicted only of abusing his father's corpse and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Because the condition of the remains prevented the medical examiner from determining how Skip died, his death remains officially unresolved.

James "Skip" Scandirito Sr. was 74 years old and a retired Macomb County District Judge from Michigan. He had moved to Boca Raton, Florida, with his wife, Terri, and their only child, James "Jimmy" Scandirito Jr. After Terri died from lung cancer in 2017, Skip continued living in Boca Raton. He remained active and enjoyed spending time outdoors, particularly golfing. He had also previously worked at the Ocean Breeze Golf Club, which later became the location where his remains were discovered. Skip and Jimmy lived together in the same Boca Raton home. The two were described during the subsequent trial as having been close and spending considerable time together.

According to Jimmy's account, he and his father were together at the Boca Raton home on the night of March 28, 2018. Jimmy later testified that they had been drinking and using drugs. He said he went outside to smoke a cigarette and, when he returned, found Skip unresponsive. Jimmy claimed that he believed his father had died after taking cocaine and that he panicked because he feared police would discover the drugs. Instead of calling emergency services, he said he began disposing of his father's body. He transported Skip's body into the garage, where he dismembered the remains. Over the following days, the remains were placed into bags and suitcases and taken to different locations. Police later discovered evidence of blood and cleaning activity in the garage. On April 4, 2018, investigators searching the abandoned Ocean Breeze Golf Club discovered human remains. The remains were later identified as those of Skip using medical evidence, including surgical wiring in his chest. His head, arms and other body parts were never recovered. Because so much of the body was missing and the remaining remains had been dismembered, the medical examiner was unable to establish a cause of death.

Skip was reported missing on April 1, 2018, when Jimmy told police that his father had failed to return home. Jimmy initially told investigators that Skip had gone kayaking with a woman he had recently met. Police quickly identified inconsistencies in the account. Investigators began monitoring Jimmy and his movements. Surveillance showed him purchasing a handcart, cleaning products, garbage bags, duct tape and other items shortly after Skip's disappearance. Some of the purchases were made using Skip's credit card. Police subsequently followed Jimmy to the abandoned Ocean Breeze Golf Club. He was observed carrying suitcases onto the property and later disposing of one in a dumpster. The suitcase contained bloody clothing and other evidence associated with human remains. Investigators then discovered the buried remains of Skip at the golf course. Jimmy was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The prosecution argued that Jimmy had killed his father for financial reasons, pointing to his financial difficulties and attempts to access money from Skip's accounts. The defence maintained that Jimmy had found his father already dead and, while intoxicated and panicked, had dismembered and concealed the body rather than report the death. Toxicology did not find cocaine in Skip's system, although other substances, including alcohol and prescription drugs, were detected. The medical examiner nevertheless could not determine the cause of death.

Jimmy Scandirito Jr. was tried for his father's murder in Palm Beach County in 2019. On March 21, 2019, a jury found him not guilty of first-degree murder. The jury did, however, find him guilty of abuse of a dead human body for dismembering and concealing his father's remains. On June 21, 2019, Jimmy was sentenced to the maximum 15 years in prison for the abuse-of-a-corpse conviction. Because Jimmy was acquitted of murder and the medical examiner could not determine how Skip died, no person has been legally established as responsible for Skip's death. The circumstances surrounding Skip's death therefore remain unresolved.

The case is notable because Skip's body was found dismembered and partially buried at an abandoned golf course, yet the prosecution was unable to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that his son had caused his death. Jimmy admitted disposing of and dismembering his father's body, but the jury rejected the murder charge. The missing body parts also prevented the medical examiner from determining a cause of death, leaving an unusual gap between the discovery of a violently dismembered body and a definitive determination of how the victim died.