What was supposed to be a fishing getaway in Ruskin ended in a life sentence for a Polk City man, after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in a deadly shooting during the trip.
On Monday, May 4, 2026, a judge sentenced 60-year-old John Skeen to life in prison for the killing, which happened just before 10 p.m. on March 10, 2023, at a home in the 300 block of Manatee Drive. Prosecutors said Skeen shot the victim in the upper body. Skeen testified that he acted in self-defense, but a jury rejected that claim at a March trial. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and later died.
How deputies say the shooting unfolded
According to a press release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Skeen and three friends were staying at a Ruskin residence for a fishing trip when they went out to a local bar and later returned to the home. There, a verbal argument broke out and escalated, deputies said. During the dispute, Skeen pulled a firearm and the single shot struck the male victim in the upper body.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded, performed life-saving measures and took the victim to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
Guilty verdict and life sentence
After hearing testimony at trial in March, a jury found Skeen guilty of second-degree murder. On Monday, a judge followed that verdict with a life sentence, as reported by Tampa Bay 28.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said assistant state attorneys Andrew Rollins and Adam Teichler handled the prosecution. Court docket entries in Hillsborough County public records list the charge as second-degree murder with a firearm.
Ruskin's recent high-profile cases
Skeen’s case lands in a community that has already seen its share of high-profile violence. Prosecutors and residents alike still recall a 2010 porch shooting in Ruskin that drew widespread media attention across the region and eventually resulted in life sentences for the defendant.
As Bay News 9 has detailed, that case and its lengthy legal saga remain part of Ruskin’s recent criminal history, a backdrop that makes any new life sentence in the area hard to ignore.
What happens next
Court records now reflect Skeen’s conviction and life sentence. Any post-judgment motions or appeals would move through Hillsborough Circuit Court and be recorded in the public docket.
Anyone with additional information about the original incident was asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, according to the agency’s press release.
