The boyfriend of a San Francisco tech worker who was found dead in her apartment last month has been arrested and charged with murder, police said on Monday. The victim, Lila Smith, 28, was a software engineer at Netflix and had been dating the suspect, Scott Fisher, 29, for about a year.
A tragic case of domestic violence
According to the police, Fisher killed Smith in a domestic violence incident on November 25, 2023, at her apartment in the Mission District. He then fled the scene and drove to his parents’ home in Sacramento, where he was later arrested by the authorities.
The police said they found evidence of a struggle and blood stains in Smith’s apartment, as well as a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon. They also said they had received a 911 call from a neighbor who heard a loud argument and a woman screaming for help.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene by the paramedics. She had suffered multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck, according to the medical examiner.
A promising career cut short
Smith was a talented and respected tech worker who had worked at Netflix for over two years. She was part of the engineering team that developed the company’s popular streaming platform and had contributed to several innovative projects.
She was also a mentor and a role model for many young women in the tech industry, according to her colleagues and friends. She had graduated from Stanford University with a degree in computer science and had previously worked at Google and Facebook.
Smith’s family and co-workers expressed their shock and grief over her death and remembered her as a kind, smart, and generous person who loved her job and had a bright future ahead of her.
A troubled relationship with a history of violence
Fisher, who described himself as a tech entrepreneur and a consultant, had a criminal record and a history of violence, according to the police and court documents. He had been arrested several times for drunk driving, drug possession, and assault.
He had also been accused of abusing and threatening his previous girlfriends, who had obtained restraining orders against him. One of them, Emily Jones, 27, told the media that Fisher had stalked and harassed her for months after they broke up and had even tried to kill her by setting fire to her apartment.
Jones said she had warned Smith about Fisher’s dangerous behavior and had urged her to leave him, but Smith had not listened to her. She said she felt guilty and heartbroken that she could not save her friend from Fisher’s rage.
A call for justice and awareness
Fisher is currently being held without bail at the San Francisco County Jail and is facing a possible life sentence if convicted of murder. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 15, 2023, for a preliminary hearing.
The police and the prosecutors said they were determined to bring Fisher to justice and to hold him accountable for his heinous crime. They also said they hoped that Smith’s case would raise awareness about the prevalence and the severity of domestic violence in the society and the need for prevention and intervention.
They urged anyone who was in an abusive relationship or who knew someone who was to seek help and to report any signs of danger to the authorities. They also encouraged the public to support the survivors and the victims’ families of domestic violence and to honor their memory.
