Posted by .., a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 26, 2009 at 5:39 pm

he needs to wipe that smerk off his face.

Posted by just a reader, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 26, 2009 at 5:51 pm

"When the judge asked him if he had retained a layer, Scherer III said no and answered yes when asked if he would like a public defender."

This should probably read "lawyer"... although I'm not sure that's going to help any better, in this case.

Posted by Janet Pelletier, editor of the Pleasanton Weekly, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 26, 2009 at 6:52 pm

thanks "just a reader," it's been corrected.

Posted by Kelly, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 27, 2009 at 9:12 am

I agree with the previous comment about the smerk on his face. He was seen laughing with the sherriff. I feel for his sister who is left to deal with this. But then again if you can kill your parents in cold blood then he has got to be on drugs!

Posted by Mike, a resident of the Highland Oaks neighborhood, on Feb 27, 2009 at 4:15 pm

Is anyone interested in knowing what it was about this parent/child relationship that produced a son capable of so brutally murdering both his mother and father?

Posted by Lizzy Bordon, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Feb 27, 2009 at 4:31 pm

Sad, but it probably no longer matters whether the parent/child relationship was stilted.

The smirk may be his way of dealing with reality. Or it might just be one photo instant in time.

But now, like Lizzy,

he'll probably ask for the Mercy of the Court,

because now, he's an orphan!

Posted by Eric, a resident of Dublin, on Feb 27, 2009 at 4:38 pm

Ernest "Skip" loved his parents. One thing every article fails to mention is this:

Skip, his wife and son were supposed to be flying to Hawaii for a vacation with his parents on the day of his parents funeral. How many of you 30 year olds go on vacation with your parents? He traveled from Southern to Northern California several times a month to visit his parents. I have never heard Skip say one bad thing about them. Skip did not murder his parents.

Posted by avid reader from SoCal, a resident of another community, on Feb 27, 2009 at 7:15 pm

The truth hides behind his stoic demeanor. Isn't he innocent until proven guilty?

Posted by Family Values, a resident of the Gatewood neighborhood, on Feb 27, 2009 at 9:53 pm

Families develop differently, and this one reminds me of the Melendez bros who killed their parents in cold blood for their "inheritence" money to feed their drug, alcohol, gambling, women, you name it ... addiction of spoiled children who had no discipline from the outset. It's sad, but you can't tell me the parents didn't see this coming????

Posted by Pleasanton Gal, a resident of the Vineyard Hills neighborhood, on Feb 28, 2009 at 7:42 pm

I do not know whether he is guilty or not and trust the court to decide. However, some children go through life without ever being diagnosed with mental illness. I do not know this family or this man, yet, mental illness well-disguised can be a possibility if he is guilty. Someone mentioned he traveled with his parents a lot. He could have been a caring-family oriented son or was he a "moocher" who just wanted a "free" trip paid for by his parents? I just do not know and cannot make a judgement. I wanted to point out that some children will go along on family trips to get the free trip. Is he guilty or innocent? I just do not know-not enough information yet. I would like to view this trial.