A 72-year-old woman in Ironton, Missouri, was playing video games on her laptop when her 54-year-old son allegedly stood behind her recliner and fatally shot her. Joey Lee Skaggs is facing charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with her death, according to a press release from the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, deputies responded to a report of an “unknown problem” at a home on Fawn Drive in the Lake Hanna Development at 5:23 p.m. When they arrived, deputies found the woman suffering from what they described as “apparent head trauma,” which was later determined to be the result of a gunshot wound. The woman, who was not publicly identified, succumbed to her injuries and was declared dead at the scene by medical personnel despite life-saving efforts.
An initial investigation pointed to Skaggs as the main suspect, who reportedly lived in a different building in the same development and allegedly left the home on foot. He was located and arrested without incident while he was walking eastbound along Highway 221, west of Doe Run.
Motive for alleged shooting remains unknown
According to a probable cause statement obtained by Fox 2 Now, investigators said Skaggs had been working with his stepfather prior to the shooting, collecting scrap metal around the Lake Hannah Development. Skaggs allegedly returned to the home his mother and stepfather lived in at around 3 p.m. and grabbed a loaded .22-caliber rifle from behind a kitchen door.
Skaggs supposedly told investigators during an interview that he was standing in the kitchen, where he could see his mother sitting on her recliner in the living room playing video games on her laptop. He was allegedly standing three to four feet behind his mother when he pointed the rifle at the back of her head and fired a shot, before returning the firearm to its spot in the kitchen and eventually fleeing afterward, according to the statement.
Deputies reportedly recovered the rifle used in the shooting, as well as a shell casing inside the home. However, the case is still in its early stages, and investigators are continuing to collect evidence and information. Investigators have not yet shared any details regarding the possible motive behind the alleged killing.
It remains unclear what transpired between the time of the alleged shooting at 3 p.m. and the St. Francois County Sheriff’s response at 5:23 p.m. Reports also did not detail the stepfather’s whereabouts during the incident.
Class A felonies carry serious punishments in Missouri
Following his arrest, Skaggs was booked into the St. Francois County Adult Detention Center, where he remains in custody without bond. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday morning.
First-degree murder is a Class A felony under Missouri law and carries a punishment of either death or life in prison without the possibility of parole or probation. On the other hand, armed criminal action is a charge added on top of a felony when prosecutors allege that a dangerous or deadly weapon was used in committing the felony
An armed criminal action sentence must run consecutively with the felony sentence, not concurrently. The punishment, if found guilty, depends on the number of offenses the individual has committed in the past.
For a first offense, the individual must serve a minimum of three years at the Missouri Department of Corrections. A second offense requires a minimum of five years, while a third offense mandates at least 10 years. None of these offenses are eligible for probation, and each carries no maximum sentence.
