In the annals of Chester County, few crimes have stunned and outraged residents and law-enforcement personnel more than the alleged torture and fatal beating of a 3-year-old boy on Nov. 4 in West Caln Township.
Last week, three people charged in connection with the homicide of Scotty McMillan each waived their preliminary hearings. McMillan’s mother, Jillian Tait, and her boyfriend, Gary Lee Fellenbaum, face the death penalty for allegedly torturing and beating the boy inside Fellenbaum’s trailer.
Fellenbaum’s estranged wife, Amber Fellenbaum, also faces felony charges for allegedly failing to prevent or report the abuse, which authorities say occurred over several days inside the trailer where they all lived.
“The men and women of law enforcement deal with terrible things every day, from murders to suicides to car crashes, but very few things hit us as hard as the death of Scotty McMillan,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. “Even the toughest of our detectives were shaken by the level of violence directed at such a young and vulnerable child.”
In the aftermath of the homicide, Hogan called the impact on law enforcement straightforward: “a grim resolve to make sure that we do everything possible to bring justice to the defendants who killed this little boy.” He said his office intends to seek the death penalty for Tait and Gary Fellenbaum.
Amid the shock, a concerned community far beyond the boundaries of West Caln Township has stepped in to offer support to the victim’s 6-year-old brother Ryan, who was also believed to have been abused.
Supportive Facebook pages were created, and the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County and the District Attorney’s Office partnered to create a trust fund for the surviving brother. Attorneys from the Lamb McErlane PC law firm in West Chester volunteered to set up the trust, and DNB First, a bank based in Chester County, volunteered to work with the attorneys to handle the account’s details.
The Crime Victims’ Center also issued a reminder to residents that the signs of child abuse can sometimes go unnoticed.
“There may not be telltale bruises or other physical injuries,” a press release said. “The abuse could be emotional or one of neglect that can scar a child as deeply as physical blows. So, while no one wants to believe child abuse has occurred, a concerned adult should err on the side of caution and report anything suspicious – change in demeanor, acting out, withdrawal from socializing. Children depend on the adults in their world to intervene when they are being hurt.”
The center runs age-appropriate programs for children – even at the pre-school level -- that teach them that no one has a right to harm them in any way and that if they do to tell someone about it. The agency urges residents to call the center and request help in educating children, a parent group, professionals who work with children, or other concerned citizens.
The free prevention/education programs can be tailored to a specific group, the release said. For more information about CVC, call 610-692-1926 or visit http://www.cvcofcc.org.
Donations to the trust fund can be sent to Chester County Angel Trust, DNB First Wealth Management, 410 Exton Square Parkway, Exton, 19341.
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