Man Charged with Murdering an Elderly Minister who Gave Him Shelter
A man has been charged for murdering his benefactor – an elderly pastor who gave him shelter.
Rickey Skinner, 42, was arrested and charged with murder in the death of 81-year-old Joseph McDowell, pastor of Southard Drive Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, Christian News reports. Skinner lived with his girlfriend in Mr. McDowell's garage, located at 265 Southard Drive.
According to neighbors, McDowell allowed Skinner to live there out of feeling "sorry," since the latter was suffering from Hepatitis C and was telling people that he only had months left to live, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
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On March 28, a fire broke out in McDowell's home. Skinner asked a neighbor for help, saying "Call 911. I'm on fire, I'm on fire." The neighbor, Rose Dailey, said both Skinner and his girlfriend were in pain at the time, having suffered from burns.
Skinner was taken to the Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. His girlfriend, who suffered from second-degree burns, was also rushed to the hospital for treatment.
With Skinner and his girlfriend outside and away from the fire, police responding to the incident went inside the house and found McDowell lying dead inside a bedroom. Upon investigation, they ruled that he died before the fire broke out.
"He was killed at the hands of someone else," police detective David Sicilian said.
Police said McDowell was the victim of a homicide not related to the fire. After collecting evidence, police investigators ruled that McDowell was murdered with a blunt object. They said he was beaten to death using a baseball bat.
In a press release, Columbus police confirmed they had charged Skinner with murder as a result of the incident. Skinner was arrested and arraigned in court. His bond was set at $500,000.
Prosecutors call Skinner a "repeat violent offender," having been convicted of burglary and robbery in 2003 and 2006, Fox28 reported. He will face an additional 11 years in prison for every count that would lead to a conviction.
Church congregants and neighbors were both saddened and outraged at the incident.
"It was a bad day for all of us," Southard Baptist Church Treasurer Polly Hendricks told WBNS-TV.
"Joe was a good man," neighbor Ed Burnett said.
"I don't feel sorry for the man," Hendricks, speaking of Skinner, said. "[W]hatever they do to him, but I think he needs to be let live and suffer."
