MURDERS from Page 15
contemporary pop culture — Anne Rice’s novel The Queen of the Damned features a vampiric creature named Akasha. It seems unlikely, given Brent’s propensity for spirituality and Eastern philosophy, that his version of Akasha would have come from such a shallow place, but his account of how he “met” Akasha was rather earthly. During an interview with Mary Kottenstette, a paralegal in the Boulder County public defenders office, Brent claimed to have met a man at Whole Foods in Boulder who called himself Akasha. Brent was clear that the “meeting” made him feel good — indeed, it made him feel blessed. Eventually, it was Akasha who told Brent that something good would come from visiting his parents, and it was Akasha who said this trip should be made in secret by bus. “God only knows where Brent got the name Akasha, but that was his story,” Pinsky says. “Somebody made him do it, and in his story it was a malevolent spirit. Others suspected a more earthly intervention... ”
A fight for life It took time before Brent was extradited to Alabama, but he was eventually flown back to Montgomery in police escort in February 2005. “He had a couple visits from his wife while he was in Boulder County Jail, then when he was sent to Montgomery County Jail, his wife never visited but twice sent him a very strange note saying, ‘We support you. If you get the death penalty we’ll come out to be with you,’” Pinsky says. The state appointed Brent two private attorneys — Jay Lewis and Bill Blanchard. Both were prominent in Montgomery and both had defended in capital murder cases before. “They began trying to save this kid’s life, essentially,” Pinsky says. “The first line of defense was not guilty by reason of insanity — if they could sell it.” But it was a hard sell. Brent had purchased a mask and gloves before going to his parent’s home on Thanksgiving Day, making the killings look planned. Even so, the defense continued, for a time, to build the case that Brent was mentally ill before he committed the murders. They traveled out West to talk to doctors who had seen Brent and diagnosed him as bipolar. They eventually brought in Pinsky’s sister-in-law, Susan Wardell, a social worker and attorney who they hoped could help keep Brent from being sentenced to death. It was Wardell who, years later, would tell Pinsky about this case of an intelligent, altruistic young man who seemingly went off the rails and murdered his parents. “The feeling was that Brent never would have done this on his own,” Pinsky says of the defense teams’ belief. “It made no sense. He went to Montgomery to talk to his parents about reconciling, to keep the money going. Brent [told investigators], ‘I didn’t want my family thrown out in the cold.’ Well, killing his parents wasn’t going to stop that process. They’re dead, they can’t send any more money.” The only logical way that murder could have been viewed as a path to keeping the Colorado home and the money flowing, is if someone thought that Brent would inherit his parents’ estate if they were murdered. Which would be true only if the murder went unsolved. 16 August 13, 2015
news The Springford property in Montgomery was a Montgomery or was he manipulated by someone else, multimillion-dollar estate, and according to Brent Sr. someone more real, as many of the law enforcement and Charlotte’s will, it was to be split 50/50 between officers and defense team members involved in the their two children. case believe? Did Brent talk to his parents to try to Pinsky claims that in his interviews with defense save the house and keep money flowing to his wife team members, they revealed that Scoutt spoke with and her children, or did he leave Fort Collins intent the defense team numerous times in a general manner upon murder? We may never know for sure, but it is about her inheritance rights. And according to Pinsky, possible that a little more clarity may emerge if author recorded Boulder County Jail conversations between Mark Pinsky is finally able to locate the friends and Brent and his wife show Scoutt raised the question of family he is hoping to find. inheritance to her husband, but he cut her off. Pinsky has a handwritten letter from Brent to Scoutt in • • • • which he explained to his wife that he had fear that Breaking: Another body enters the such comments would sound bad if the call was being picture monitored. Since Boulder Weekly began working on this series This wasn’t the only time Brent tried to protect approximately two weeks ago, an unusual and disturbhis wife. Written correspondence from Brent to his ing event in Wyoming has come to light. On June 24, defense team appears to demonstrate his primary goal a 60-year-old man by the name of Richard Campbell was to protect his wife, and in many ways, this created was found dead of a gunshot wound at 1074 Old grief for Brent’s attorneys. Highway 85, just 10 miles from downtown Newcastle, “In emails, in particular between three members of Wyoming. the defense team, there’s increasing frustration because The property where Campbell’s body was found is … Brent didn’t want them to talk to [his wife]. And owned by Carolyn Scoutt, Brent’s widow. he would say she wasn’t being respected when they Despite the investigation still being open, officers did go to talk to her. He would not allow her to be from the Weston County, Wyoming Sheriff ’s called as a witness.” Department were able to provide Boulder Weekly with However, Scoutt’s devotion to her husband was some details about the case. waning — as the years wore on, Scoutt ceased comWhile Sgt. Patrick Watsabaugh could not provide munications with Brent. an exact number, he says that Campbell had been livDespite complications — ing on the property for between 9 Brent’s ardent protection of his wife and 10 years. His investigation, he and Scoutt’s deteriorating commusays, has not yet revealed how the CONTACT INFO: If you have nications with her husband — the two became acquainted. information that might help Mark defense team needed her help in “This was not a cohabitation Pinsky further his investigation into the life of Brent Springford, please with Carolyn Scoutt,” says Sgt. getting Brent to accept a deal that contact him at osopinsky@aol. Patrick Watsabaugh, the lead would change his plea from not com. You can read more about investigator for the case. “They guilty by reason of insanity to the author and his work at his website, markpinsky.com. lived in separate residences that guilty, saving him from the death share the same numerical penalty by giving Brent life in pris[address].” on without the chance for parole. Watsabaugh’s investigation has not yet determined The defense team essentially dictated Scoutt the whether Campbell was paying Scoutt rent or rendering letter and she sent it to Brent, who finally accepted maintenance-like services in exchange for a place to live. the plea bargain. Campbell’s body was found face up on a bed in his After four years, a change of venue and countless hours trying to control Brent’s erratic behavior, he was residence. The firearm, a Brazilian copy of a Winchester Model 92, was found lying on top of the sentenced to life in prison without parole on Dec. 4, body. 2008. He was sent first to Kilby Correctional Facility At this time Campbell’s death is being investigatfor a 90-day evaluation, then to his new permanent ed as an unattended death until the coroner’s report is home at Donaldson Correction Facility in Bessemer, completed. Alabama, where the state’s most violent and mentally Watsabaugh says that police have interviewed unstable criminals are housed. Scoutt, and she is not a suspect at this time. In a letter to his lawyer, Brent asked if he could Weston County Sheriff Bryan Colvard says there is arrange to be put in a cell block with all white men an insurance policy for Campbell in which Scoutt over 60 because he wanted a placid environment. is named as a beneficiary. However, the sheriff ’s “It was like he was calling the Marriott. He just office does not yet have that insurance policy in didn’t get that wasn’t the way things operated, but hand. it wasn’t because he was a grabby kid, it’s just that “It looks like an apparent suicide, but there’s so he had everything,” says Pinsky. “Even his unanticimuch involved,” Colvard says. “I don’t think there’s pated needs were met. And then when he asked for any doubt in some people’s minds that [Campbell] things his parents almost never turned him down did pull the trigger, but there’s so much more involved until the very end.” that leads us to believe… there’s more to it, that’s Brent spent five years in prison, but on Oct. 8, what I can say.” 2013, he was found unresponsive in his cell and taken At least for now, it would seem that author to Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham where Mark Pinsky knows where to look for at least one he was pronounced dead. An autopsy showed the of the people he hopes can finally shed some light cause of death to be a toxic dose of Tylenol. on those critical days leading up to the We don’t know why Brent killed his parents — Montgomery murders. was it an evil spirit named Akasha who sent him to Boulder Weekly