"The hand of one is the hand of all..."
www.fitsnews.com
2/24/26
THE STATE’S OPENING: ‘THE HAND OF ONE IS THE HAND OF ALL’
Assistant attorney general
Joel Kozak told jurors the evidence will show Amy and Ross Vilardi acted together in carrying out the killings.
“In South Carolina,” Kozak said, “the hand of one is the hand of all.”
Under that legal doctrine, a person can be convicted if they participated in a common plan — even if they did not personally inflict every fatal injury.
Prosecutors indicated they will rely on a combination of forensic and circumstantial evidence, including a shoe print allegedly matching footwear owned by Ross Vilardi, text messages discussing money in the days leading up to the killings, evidence that none of the victims were wearing shoes or socks, and the absence of forced entry at the residence. The state has also suggested financial stress was a motivating factor.
[..]
THE DEFENSE: NO NEW EVIDENCE
Defense attorney
Lori Murray – one of the Palmetto State’s most well-known, well-regarded defense attorneys – urged jurors to focus on what did
not happen in 2015.
For eight years, she argued, investigators had the same physical evidence, the same scene documentation, and the same statements — yet no charges were filed. According to Murray, it wasn’t until the ACSO brought in the TV show
Cold Justice to review the evidence that the arrests were made.
“There was no new evidence,” Murray told jurors. “They just looked at it differently.”
After looking at the evidence, investigators claimed they had probable cause for the crime, according to the defense.
She then reminded jurors that arrest requires probable cause — a far lower standard than proof beyond a reasonable doubt.