'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABxAAAgEDAgcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDAAQGBRIHCBEUFTGRAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFEQEAAQQDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBBEhIkH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AK1BzH6NBkyQWvnn7mEPbW8rpMDvZwS28hQoVQQPdU2Lj3hTRoXyaZWKgkHSn6j5SlDX4BKIcdSmMfEtorKbtfa//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In September 2017, James Skinner of Brownstown, Illinois, was found bludgeoned to death in his rural home. Although initially both Skinner's family and authorities believed his death was a suicide, a subsequent autopsy revealed that he died of blunt force trauma to the head. Moreover, authorities found the murder weapon in the front yeard of the victim's house.
A man named David Leroy Bright, who had met Skinner a few days prior to the killing via the latter's housekeeper, Missy Watkins, was linked to the killing and a trail of evidence pointed in his direction. Bright was found guilty during a 2020 trial and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Murder in the Heartland on ID is set to chronicle James Skinner's bludgeoning death in an episode titled The Killing Kind, whose synopsis states:
"After James Skinner turns up dead in his own bedroom, the agricultural community of Brownstown, Ill., enters into a paranoid spiral, unsure who would want to kill this beloved local rodeo rider and cattle rancher."
The upcoming episode will air on the channel this Wednesday, March 22, at 9:00 pm ET.
James Skinner was bludgeoned to death with a sledgehammer which was found near the crime scene covered in blood and his hair
James Skinner worked as a carpenter, handyman, and farmer, hauling and trading livestock before his death on September 17, 2017. Reports state that the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 4:30 in the evening from state police requesting a dispatch to rural Brownstown, Illinois, after Skinner's son, Ryan, found his father’s body.
Before arriving at his father's house and finding him dead, Ryan Skinner stated that he made several unsuccessful attempts at calling his father. He initially told authorities during the 911 call that his father might have committed suicide. However, once first responders arrived at the scene, they declared his death a homicide.
Since investigators initially believed that James Skinner's death was a suicide, they started further exploring the subject when his son Ryan revealed that his father had recently visited a doctor and wondered if any unpleasant news might have prompted him to take his life.
A subsequent autopsy declared that Skinner died from severe blunt force trauma to the head, a finding which was supported by the discovery of a bloody sledgehammer in the front yard of his house. The weapon was covered in blood and hair that belonged to the victim.
Besides discovering the sledgehammer, authorities also found blood on the door frame of Skinner's house, which further suggested that the killer may have other DNA evidence on their clothing as well. They also found the victim's phone near his bed and upon assessing it learned that a particular number had called him 12 times the morning of his murder.
Phone records and other evidence led authorities to David Leroy Bright who was convicted in James Skinner's slaying
Authorities initially suspected James Skinner's son Ryan, part-time housekeeper Missy Watkins, and her boyfriend Jeff, but all three were ruled out as potential suspects until witnesses reported seeing a white pick-up truck near the victim's house at the time of the murder.
A similar truck owned by David Leroy Bright was spotted by authorities, leading to suspicions that he may have committed the crime over jealousy given that he was involved with Watkins because of her reputation of hanging out with older men for financial purposes.
Once the phone records arrived, authorities learned that the calls to James Skinner were indeed made by Bright prior to the murder. They also found blood-soaked clothes in Bright's car which matched the victim. Additionally, phone records also placed him near Skinner's home that day. It was alleged that the suspect murdered him over s*xual jealousy, along with the claims that he killed the victim while he was asleep.
David Leroy Bright was found guilty in the case in November 2020 and was handed a 30-year prison sentence.
ID's Murder in the Heartland will further delve into the case this Wednesday, March 22, at 9:00 pm ET.
