Ernest Scherer III, accused of murder, may be convicted based partially on the testimony of a Camaro enthusiast

A murder case is one step closer to being solved thanks to expert testimony provided by a Camaro enthusiast. Casey McCarthy, a Chevrolet salesperson and editor/technical columnist for the Camaro Generations of Sacramento club newsletter was able to positively identify the red 2001 Camaro of Ernest Scherer III. Scherer is accused of murdering his parents for financial gain. The Pleasanton Patch has provided coverage of the legal proceedings in the Scherer case.

In testimony worthy of an episode of CSI, McCarthy was able to provide detailed information on the various models, features and colors of the fourth generation Camaro. Surveillance cameras recorded a Camaro matching the description of Scherer III’s entering the Castlewood Country Club Community on March 7th, 2008 at approximately 8pm and leaving less than 5 hours later on the night of murders.

McCarthy concluded that the car in the video was a post 1998 model due to the body style and other features. Also, he was able to determine that the car in the surveillance video, based on the reflection in the rear window, was in fact a convertible. The car caught on the video featured aftermarket wheels and brighter headlights like the Camaro police seized from Scherer. These aftermarket items allowed McCarthy to positively identify the car in the video as the Camaro belonging to Scherer even though the license plate was not legible in the videos, no matter how many times the “enhance” button was clicked.

Casey McCarthy and his 2000 SS, one of five Camaros he's owned.

Despite having restored many Camaros, five years of membership with CGS (Camaro Generation of Sacramento), being the editor and technical columnist of the CGS newsletter and owning five Camaros (from 1984 to 2010 models), defense attorney Richard Foxhall requested that McCarthy’s testimony be struck from the record. Foxhall claimed that McCarthy did not posses any certification as a Camaro expert. Judge Jeffrey Horner cited a preliminary trial hearing where McCarthy’s testimony was included and despite not having to follow past precedent, he would again allow McCarthy’s testimony.

Based on the depth of information McCarthy provided on the fourth generation cars Judge Horner stated that this knowledge was not at all common and considered McCarthy an expert. “An expert is not confined to those who have advanced degrees,” said Judge Horner in response to Foxhall’s attempts to discredit McCarthy’s status.