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Great-Grandma Shirley Skinner Charged in Execution-Style Killing
By Gary C. King in bizarre, homicide
Wednesday, Oct. 7 2009 @ 9:59AM

Shirley Skinner.jpg
Police Mug Shot
Shirley Skinner was arrested in Florida in connection with the shooting death of granddaughter's estranged husband.
​Neighbors at Lake Seminole Estates, a mobile home park in Seminole, Florida, could not believe the news when they heard that police had arrested 74-year-old Shirley Skinner as she emerged from a Clearwater restaurant on Monday. She was charged with putting a gun to her granddaughter's estranged husband's head and pulling the trigger. 

They didn't know whether the kindly 5'3" great-grandmother, who liked to play in the community pool with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, was simply a crazy old woman who had suddenly gone off her rocker or a cold-blooded killer who lacked a conscience.  But when the cops placed her in the Pinellas County Jail and a judge set bail for $5,000,000 on a warrant out of Illinois, the locals heard that the old lady had allegedly shot Steve Watkins, 32, in the head when he showed up at his ex-wife's Ashland, Illinois home in November 2008 to pick up his young daughter for a court-ordered visit...

The shooting, say relatives, was due to a bitter custody battle between Watkins and his ex-wife, Jennifer over their daughter, Skinner's great-granddaughter, who was only one-year-old at the time.

Steve Watkins' mother, Penny Watkins, told reporters from ABC and NBC news affiliates that she was relieved that an arrest had finally been made in her son's death.  She said that her son had been married to Skinner's granddaughter, Jennifer, 31, for only a short time.

"I'm as happy as I can be," Penny Watkins said. "Steven was in my soul. He was a part of me.  There's still that part of you missing that will never return."

Investigators are contending that Skinner walked up to her granddaughter's ex, put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger--execution style--shortly after Watkins arrived to pick up his child.

Although Skinner showed up at her first court appearance on Tuesday of this week and waived extradition to Illinois, the case may not be over just yet.  There were only two adults inside the house besides Steve--granny Skinner and ex-wife Jennifer.  So far, Jennifer has not been charged with anything, but the investigation is ongoing.

"It is possible that additional arrests could be made as we continue our investigation," Captain Scott Compton with the Illinois State Police said.

Tags: Florida, Illinois