PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia City Council committee looked for answers on Tuesday as to why the man accused of killing Kada Scott was released from custody before her death.
It was a sad day for the parents of Scott, the Mt. Airy woman abducted and killed in October. They watched in chambers as the committee explored missteps in the case that they said might have prevented her death.
The hearing was billed as an examination of policies to protect abuse and domestic violence victims, but when District Attorney Larry Krasner testified, Council quickly zeroed in on the previous case of Keon King, the suspect in Scott’s killing. King was accused of kidnapping and strangling an ex-girlfriend in January, but Krasner’s office dropped the charges, blaming the courts for granting King bail.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson pressed Krasner about why he didn’t appeal the bail ruling, and for the first time, Krasner said he actually thought the $200,000 dollar bail was adequate.
“Relatively speaking, it was pretty high bail,” said Krasner.
“So $200,000 is a high bail for a kidnapping,” Johnson retorted. “And does strangulation on top of kidnapping make it more serious than a slap?”
Krasner replied, “The truth is, it was better than we usually get.”
Scott’s father Kevin recently launched the Kada Scott Foundation to empower young women in Philadelphia through scholarships, mentorships and more. He admitted to mixed emotions as he watched Council members challenge Krasner’s account and expressed frustration over the few specifics they got about how the case might change his approach.
Still, he said he appreciated Council’s effort and hoped his daughter’s case would make a difference.
“There’s still a part of me that’s still saddened. My daughter’s not here anymore and [we’re] understanding the process how the suspect was released from prior incarceration and committed that crime against her,” said Kevin Scott.
“But I heard a lot of good things as far as possible legislation and information that could possibly change in the future for the women of Philadelphia. I’m hopeful of that.”