Gary Skelton, a 70-year-old white male, and his wife, Jackie Skelton, were found dead at their home in Leggett, North Carolina, on September 6, 2018. The couple had been shot to death on their property, a tragic end to their lives in the small town of Tarboro. Gary, a retired banker and the mayor of Leggett, and Jackie, a 66-year-old oncology nurse, were well-known and respected in their community.
Their deaths shocked the town and led to an immediate investigation by the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation quickly led to the arrest of two suspects: Keith Earl Williams, a 25-year-old black male, and Mitchell Brinson, an 18-year-old black male, both from Tarboro. Williams and Brinson were charged with first-degree murder. Williams had a prior criminal record, including convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and felony possession of a firearm by a felon. He had been released from prison just eight days before the Skeltons' deaths. Brinson, on the other hand, was charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
A third suspect, Dakeithia Nesha Andrews, a 31-year-old black female from Rocky Mount, was later arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. Andrews was held on a secured bond of $100,000. The arrests and charges brought some relief to the community, but the investigation continued as authorities sought to uncover the full extent of the crime and the motives behind it.
In December 2022, the final two defendants in the case entered their pleas. Mitchell Brinson pleaded guilty to two counts of accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and was sentenced to between 73 and 100 months in prison. Dakeithia Andrews pleaded guilty to one count of accessory before the fact to armed robbery and received a suspended sentence of 64 to 89 months in prison, with 24 months of supervised probation. Keith Earl Williams had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in 2020 and was sentenced to two life sentences.
The tragic deaths of Gary and Jackie Skelton left a lasting impact on their community. The couple was remembered for their contributions to the town and their dedication to their family and friends. The investigation and subsequent legal proceedings brought some measure of justice, but the loss of the Skeltons was deeply felt by all who knew them.
