3-year-old Scott McMillan Tortured And Beaten To Death By West Caln Couple

Two suspects are facing the death penalty for repeatedly abusing a 3-year-old boy to death.

By H. Nelson Goodson

November 6, 2014

Town of West Caln, Pennsylvania - On Thursday, the Chester County District Attorney's Office confirmed that it will seek the death penalty for Gary Fellenbaum, 23, and Jillian Tait, 31, who were charged for the brutal beating and torture resulting in the death of Scott "Scotty" McMillan, 3, whose horrific child abuse was only discovered on Tuesday. 

Gary was charged with 16 counts, including first-degree and third-degree murder, homicide, endangering welfare of a child, assault and reckless endangerment. Bail was denied for Fellenbaum. Tait of Coatesville, was charged with 15 counts, including first-degree and third-degree murder, homicide, conspiracy of first-degree and third-degree murder and conspiracy homicide. Bail was denied for Tait.

Amber Fellenbaum, Gary's estranged was charged with one count of child endangerment and bail was set at $500,000. Amber called 911 on Tuesday after noticing Scott was unresponsive. Once Scott was taken to a local hospital, the nursing staff and doctors noticed that he had severe signs of a brutal beating. Police were contacted.

Amber who has an 11-month-old daughter with Gary shared the mobil home with Tait and her two children. Tait, Scott and Ryan moved in with Gary and Amber in mid-October. But, the children were isolated from the neighbors.

Amber was in the process of divorcing Gary, but the three suspects have a friendly relationship, according to the criminal complaint.

Amber told investigators that she first noticed Gary spank Scott several weeks ago. On Sunday, Gary and Tait took turns to beat Scott with a steel rod. Then on Monday, Scott refused to eat some toast for breakfast and Gary punched Scott in the stomach and face repeatedly and slammed the child's head on the wall multiple times. Scott became unconscious and Tait gave him a bath to wake him up and then put him to sleep.

On Tuesday, since Scott wasn't  cooperating, Gary taped Scott to a chair. Both Gary and Tait then began to beat him repeatedly until he became unresponsive. Afterwards, Amber called 911.

In one occasion, both Gary and Tait beat Scott with a green frying pan, according to the criminal complaint.

The child abuse began after Tait move in with Gary. Gary, Tait and Amber worked at the local Parkesburg Wal-Mart.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan during a press conference said that McMillan suffered a beating and torture, which he eventually died after months of child abuse.

McMillan was savagely abused inside a trailer home in West Caln and his older brother, Ryan McMillan, 6, had been also abused for months. Ryan attended a school in Coatesville, but had missed school for several weeks.

The criminal complaint states, that both boys were hanged upside down by their feet and whipped with a curtain steel rod and other household items used to torture the boys. Both suspects would punch Scott in the stomach, used a homemade whip and a steel curtain rod to hit the deceased boy. 

Ryan survived the beatings, but Scott succumbed to the injuries and died.