Murder Trial Begins For Scott Tobiassen, 51, Who Used Power Saw, Knives To Cut Roommates’ Body Into Pieces Before Decapitation

The murder trial begins for 51-year-old Scott Tobiassen of Greenacres, Florida, who murdered his roommate by shattering his skull with a metal pipe before decapitating him, then taking a power saw and knives to cut his body into pieces.

On August 13, 2013, a verbal altercation erupted between Tobiassen and his 48-year-old roommate and landlord Gerard Longo that ended in a brutal murder at their home on 6300 block of Seven Springs Boulevard.

According to Sun-Sentinel, the two roommates’ argued over money, and it quickly ended when Tobiassen hit Longo over the head with a metal pipe, crushing his skull and killing him. Afterwards he began sawing off his “head, arms, torso, and legs” with a power saw and “placed the body parts into plastic bags and containers in an attempt to hide evidence of the crime.”

Greenacres police officials were notified of the crime after Tobiassen’s long-time friend Alexandra Peirce reported seeing Longo’s dismembered body in the bathtub. She told police that Tobiassen had invited her to the home and confessed that he murdered his roommate.

Jury selection for Scott Tobiassen accused of killing Gerard Longo and removing his head and limbs in 2013 #pbpost pic.twitter.com/BPs4DJvwbP

— PB Post Photo (@PBPostPhoto) July 21, 2015

He said “Can you believe I did this? He deserved it” as he pointed to the body. Initially, she believed it was a joke until she witnessed the gruesome scene. Tobiassen told her not to tell anyone as she is now an accomplice since he told her about the grisly details. However, Peirce disregarded his wishes and informed police immediately.

Tobiassen was immediately taken into custody and faced first-degree murder charges.

According to court records, Tobiassen told police officials that after losing his job as a crane operator, he asked Longo to help with paying rent, but he refused. Tobiassen said that his roommate became irate and threw his skateboard at him, and that’s when he “lost it” and bludgeoned him to death.

The murder trial for Scott Tobiassen began last Thursday where defense attorney Noble Parsons is working diligently to prove that the “first-degree murder charge didn’t fit the crime.”

“There’s more to this case than just, he did something horrible, and we’re just going to hang the most serious charge on him,” Parsons said. “The issue and controversy of the case will be what was going on in Mr. Tobiassen’s mind… and what’s the appropriate charge?”

In Parsons opening statement, he warned jurors about the gruesome testimony to come and said that “You’re going to hear that Mr. Tobiassen was not respectful to Mr. Longo’s body,” Parsons said.

However, he reassured the jury that based on his troubled past, “Mr. Tobiassen is not a monster.”

The trial is ongoing.

[Image courtesy of Alex Wong / Getty Images]