Mom of teen suspect in Vitale murder freed

updated 4:16 a.m. ET Oct. 29, 2005

MARTINEZ, Calif. - Prosecutors dropped charges Friday against the mother of a teenager accused of killing a prominent attorney’s wife.

Esther Fielding, 53, was released from jail after agreeing to testify against her son, 16-year-old Scott Dyleski. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his neighbor, Pamela Vitale.

Prosecutors said Fielding helped her son destroy evidence.

Daniel Horowitz, a defense attorney and television commentator, found his wife’s body in their home Oct. 15.

That night, Dyleski called his mother, who told him to stay at his girlfriend’s Walnut Creek house because police had blocked the road, according to an affidavit.

Investigators seized a duffel bag from a vehicle at Fielding’s house that contained clothing and a glove, both with traces of blood, court documents said.

Dyleski was arrested Oct. 19 after police linked him to a tip about a neighbor’s stolen credit card. The credit card was allegedly used to buy hydroponic growing equipment — often used to cultivate marijuana — that was scheduled for delivery to the Horowitz residence, according to police documents.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jimmy Lee didn’t return pages seeking comment Thursday.

Judge David B. Flinn issued a temporary gag order Thursday until a Nov. 10 hearing, after attorneys on both sides sought to keep the case out of the media spotlight.

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