Investigators say Joey Lee Skaggs shot his 72-year-old mother from behind while she sat in a recliner using her laptop.
ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. — A 54-year-old Missouri man has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action after authorities said he fatally shot his mother inside her home in the Lake Hanna community over the weekend.
Joey Lee Skaggs was arrested Saturday after deputies found his 72-year-old mother fatally wounded at a residence in the Lake Hanna Development near Ironton, according to the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office and a probable cause statement cited by local news organizations. Authorities said Skaggs admitted during an interview that he fired the shot. A motive has not been publicly disclosed.
Deputies were called at about 5:23 p.m. Saturday to the 500 block of Fawn Drive for what the sheriff’s office described as an unknown problem. When first responders entered the residence, they found the woman suffering from what initially appeared to be serious head trauma. Authorities later determined that she had been shot. Emergency crews attempted to treat her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said they received a description of a person who had been seen leaving the residence. Before deputies reached Fawn Drive, officers had observed a man matching that description walking east along Highway 221 west of Doe Run. Deputies later located Skaggs and arrested him without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
A probable cause statement obtained by KTVI said Skaggs had been collecting scrap metal with his stepfather on the Lake Hanna property before the shooting. Investigators said Skaggs went to the residence where his mother and stepfather lived at about 3 p.m. and retrieved a loaded .22-caliber rifle that was kept near the kitchen.
According to investigators, Skaggs told law enforcement that he could see his mother sitting in a living room recliner while she played games on a laptop. Police said he told them he stood several feet behind her and fired the rifle. Authorities allege he then returned the weapon to where he had found it and left the residence on foot.
Investigators recovered a .22-caliber rifle and a spent shell casing from the home, according to the probable cause statement. The publicly available reports did not identify the woman by name. Authorities also have not announced a suspected motive or described any dispute that may have preceded the shooting.
The St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Skaggs with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. First-degree murder is an allegation that prosecutors will have to prove in court, and the filing of criminal charges does not establish guilt. Skaggs had not been convicted in connection with his mother’s death as of the latest reports reviewed Tuesday.
Authorities said Skaggs was booked into the St. Francois County Adult Detention Center and was being held without bond. Initial reports listed his first court appearance for Tuesday, Nov. 3. No later court disposition was located in the reports reviewed for this article, and the sheriff’s office said the investigation remained under its direction.