UPDATE: Rockville Double Homicide Suspect Confesses, Family Issues Statement

UPDATED at 2:20 p.m.

A suspect charged with the killing of a Rockville couple is a next-door neighbor who served as caretaker at times to the victims’ property, and reportedly confessed to the murders when he was apprehended Saturday in Alaska, police say.

Scott Michael Tomaszewski has been charged with first-degree murder, according to Montgomery County Police. The suspect was arrested on a ship in Alaska, reportedly with blood-tainted cash police believe is that of the victims, and other items that tie him to a recent burglary and the murders.

The bodies of Richard and Julianne Vilardo were found at their home on May 10. They had been stabbed to death, likely sometime the night before, according to police.

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Tomaszeski was taken into custody Saturday in Juneau, Alaska, according to NBC Washington. WTOP adds that Tomaszeski was arrested on a cruise ship.

Three Montgomery County detectives, with the assistance of the Juneau Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Coast Guard, executed a search warrant on the cabin of the ship where Tomaszewski was a passenger. Evidence linking him to a recent burglary in the Vilardoes’ neighborhood, and their murders, was found in the suspect’s cabin and at the Tomaszewski home in Rockville, police say.

Evidence allegedly linking Tomaszewki to the murders includes cash with possible blood on it that is believed to have been taken from the Vilardo home. Tomaszewski was taken into custody by Juneau authorities. Police say while he was questioned, Tomaszewski confessed to killing Richard and Julianne Vilardo.

The couple’s family released a statement praising police and prosecutors for their tireless and “remarkable work” to crack the case.

“As a result of the work of the police department and the prosecutors’ office, we can take the first step on the long road to healing,” the Vilardo family statement said. (See the full statement below.)

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Detectives say in 1998 there had been burglary of the Vilarado home while they were away. Tomaszewski had been given access to the home by the Vilardo family as a care-taker while they were gone. Between April 4 and April 6 of this year, there had been a burglary of another home on Ridge Drive. Detectives say Tomaszewski had pawned items on April 20 that had been taken in the April 2015 burglary.

Along with the two counts of murder, Tomaszewski faces two counts of armed robbery, and one count of first-degree burglary. Once the extradition process is complete, he will be transported to Montgomery County for arraignment.

Investigators say the Vilardoes were in the Charles Town, W.VA, area on May 9, where they had dinner with friends. The couple came home that evening, which is the last time they were known to be alive.

Julianne Vilardo was found dead inside the home. The body of Richard Vilardo was found just outside the rear of the house. Police said each suffered “trauma to the upper portion” of their bodies.

Detectives have said they believe suspects entered the Vilardo home through a window. The glass was not broken, and the latch may not have been engaged.

Statement from Vilardo Family:

“We would like to acknowledge and thank Sgt. Larry Haley and Det. Carvajal and their team with the Montgomery County Police Department for their remarkable detective work, which took them from Rockville, Maryland all the way to Juneau, Alaska. They have worked tirelessly, around-the-clock, since this horrific crime was reported last Sunday and we are deeply appreciative of their efforts.

We would also like to thank the State’s Attorney for Montgomery County, John McCarthy, who has worked hand-in-glove with the police department in this matter to make sure that the perpetrator is brought to justice.

For the past week, we have known the where, the when and the how; now we know who. And, while we may never truly understand why, as a result of the work of the police department and the prosecutors’ office, we can take the first step on the long road to healing. We thank them again for their commitment to help bring us closure.”

More at Patch:

• Richard Louis Vilardo and Julianne Humphreys Vilardo, of Rockville
• Police Seek Security Videos from Neighbors of Slain Rockville Couple
• Slain Rockville Couple Stabbed to Death, $10K Reward Offered: Police
• Slain Rockville Couple Named as Hotel Developer, Wife
• Police: Bodies of Rockville Couple Found, Homicide Suspected