District Attorney Larry Krasner told City Council on Tuesday that prosecutors declined to appeal the bail ruling in an earlier case against Kada Scott's suspected killer because they felt $200,000 was “relatively high.”
The disclosure came during a daylong hearing where lawmakers discussed the handling of domestic violence cases, the mechanics of protection from abuse orders and other relevant issues with law enforcement leaders, service providers and city officials.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson called for the hearings after the death of Scott, 23, whose remains were found Oct. 18 on the grounds of a closed East Germantown school. Her killing made national headlines and ignited a local conversation about violence against women.
Keon King, 21, has been charged with Scott’s murder. Earlier this year, and prior to her death, he had been released on $200,000 bond after being accused in court of kidnapping and strangling a different woman.
Prosecutors had requested just shy of $1 million but opted not to appeal the decision, representatives from the DA’s Office testified.
“We did not appeal because the bail was relatively high, compared to what we often get,” remarked Krasner, who was questioned for about two hours.
Bail is set by appointed commissioners, though judges handle any appeal motions. Krasner on Tuesday stood by his earlier assertion that a late-night phone call to an on-call judge could have resulted in them lowering the bond number out of annoyance. Court officials have strenuously denied the claim.
“There’s no way that anyone who strangled and kidnapped a woman – anyone – should have just been out,” Councilmember Cindy Bass said. “And then not only was he out, but we didn’t appeal when we had the opportunity to, to get him back.”
Councilmember Nina Ahmad responded by saying that the episode shows law enforcement is not taking domestic violence seriously.
“We devalue women and girls,” she added. “This country’s justice system does not take crimes against us seriously.”
Kada’s parents, Kevin Scott and Kim Matthews, attended Tuesday’s hearing and were scheduled to testify; however, they ultimately decided not to speak.
The DA’s office withdrew the earlier charges against King in May after the victim and a witness did not show up for a pair of preliminary hearings, the second of which was designated as a “must try,” meaning the matter had to either move forward or be dropped.
Krasner has previously acknowledged that prosecutors could have advanced the case using only video evidence. His office’s handling of the matter drew criticism, particularly in the run-up to his successful reelection bid in November.
As the Inquirer reported, King appeared in court twice for a different case while being wanted for the kidnapping. Officers did not show up to arrest him, and Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore told lawmakers that law enforcement are not notified of upcoming court dates and must not have checked.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said the department is exploring the possibility of acquiring new technology to maintain a better database of cases. The subscription cost is around $2 million a year, he added.
PPD leaders told Council that they do prioritize domestic violence cases and have noticed a delay from the DA’s Office when investigators file affidavits of probable cause to obtain arrest warrants.
“Anywhere from two days to five days is the average, and there’s some that go weeks until we get it back,” Vanore said. “That is the problem. It’s not a priority.”
Among the other holds-ups in the process are “stay away” orders that are handed down when suspects are apprehended, Krasner said. Police do not have access to the directives, meaning they are unenforceable, he explained. Victims are typically encouraged to seek protection from abuse orders, also known as a restraining order, which are more easily tracked.
Police respond to more than 100,000 domestic violence calls of varying degrees of severity each year in Philadelphia, officials said. They account for nearly 40% of all reported assaults, and, in 2025, there have been 33 domestic homicides, 22 of which involved guns, Bethel said.
Krasner said the DA’s Office recently began weekly meetings with the PPD, Women Against Abuse and other stakeholders to examine serious cases. Similar reviews were initiated for shootings, and gun violence has been on a precipitous decline over the past several years, he noted.
Going forward, he also plans to ask Mayor Cherelle Parker and Council for funding in the next municipal budget cycle to set up a prolific domestic violence offender unit. Krasner said the team would be made up of specialized lawyers who are assigned to a case from the preliminary stages to trial.
Krasner said he made the same request for the fiscal year 2026 budget, which went into effect July 1, but the money did not materialize.
Johnson indicated that Tuesday’s hearing would lead to further coordination between elected leaders, law enforcement and organizations that support victims surrounding the city’s approach to combating violence against women.
