A 72-year-old woman was shot to death inside her Lake Hannah home last Saturday, and her 54-year-old son now faces a first-degree murder charge in her death. Joey Lee Skaggs was taken into custody after deputies spotted a man matching his description walking along a nearby highway, and he remains jailed without bond as the case moves toward his first court appearance.
According to the Park Hills Daily Journal, St. Francois County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the 500 block of Fawn Drive on Saturday for a report of an unknown problem. Deputies arrived to find a 72-year-old woman suffering from apparent head trauma that was later determined to be a gunshot wound, the paper reports, and emergency medical personnel treated her at the scene before she died there. Authorities said the woman was fatally shot inside her residence in the Lake Hannah development, per the sheriff's account relayed by the Daily Journal.
As reported by First Alert 4, officers were initially called to the 500 block of Fawn Drive in the Lake Hannah Development for the same unknown-problem report. NewsNation separately described the location as the victim's home just off Highway 221 in the Lake Hanna community, reporting that the shooting happened around 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
Suspect Fled on Foot Before Arrest
The Daily Journal reports that the suspect fled the residence on foot after the shooting. Responding deputies then observed a man matching the suspect's description walking eastbound on Highway 221, west of Doe Run, and additional deputies detained him without incident near his last known location, according to the paper's account.
NewsNation's report adds further detail to what investigators say happened inside the home, reporting that Skaggs grabbed a loaded .22-caliber rifle from behind a kitchen door before the shooting. The outlet's account of his interview with law enforcement states that Skaggs said he was standing three to four feet behind his mother when he shot her in the back of her head. NewsNation also reports that Skaggs returned the rifle to where he had grabbed it and then fled on foot, and that the rifle and a .22-caliber shell casing were recovered inside the home.
Charges and Custody Status
The Daily Journal reports that Joey Lee Skaggs is the victim's son and lived on the property, per the sheriff's office. A no-bond warrant was issued charging him with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, and officers took him into custody, according to the paper. Skaggs is incarcerated at the St. Francois County Adult Detention Center pending further court proceedings, a detail also confirmed by First Alert 4, which reported that he remains in custody at that facility after being arrested without incident.
NewsNation reported that Skaggs is being held without bond and was scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday morning. The armed criminal action charge stems from Missouri's statute covering offenses committed by, with, or through the use, assistance, or aid of a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes.
Investigation Remains Active
The Daily Journal reports that detectives assumed the investigation and processed evidence at the scene, and that authorities recovered a firearm. The sheriff's office is not releasing additional information at this time, according to the paper, and the investigation remains active. As with any pending criminal case, the charges against Skaggs are accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
