Bio

Dennis James Skillicorn was born on November 21, 1959. He grew up in Missouri. His early life was troubled. Skillicorn faced challenges during his childhood, which shaped his later decisions. 

In 1979, when he was just 20 years old, Skillicorn was part of a group that committed a burglary. They broke into a house in Kansas City, where a tragic incident occurred. One of his accomplices shot and killed an 81-year-old man during the crime. Skillicorn was charged with second-degree murder for his involvement and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He served more than 13 years before being paroled in 1992.

After his release, Skillicorn struggled to adjust to life outside of prison. He became involved in a lifestyle that included drug use and more crimes. In late August 1994, he was with two other men on a journey to buy drugs when their car broke down in Missouri. This marked the beginning of a series of criminal acts that would lead him into more serious legal trouble.

Murder Story

In late August 1994, Dennis Skillicorn, along with two accomplices, Allen Nicklasson and Tim DeGraffenreid, headed east from Kansas City to buy illegal drugs. Their journey took a turn when their car broke down on Interstate 70. After refusing help from a state trooper, they traveled a short distance and burglarized a nearby home, stealing guns and money. They used this stolen money to pay for a tow, but the garage could not repair their car.

The next day, they drove back toward their original crime scene and the car stalled again. During this time, Richard Drummond, a technical support supervisor, offered to help them. They forced him at gunpoint to drive them to a phone. While driving, they disabled Drummond's phone because they feared he could contact the authorities. After some discussion, Skillicorn and Nicklasson decided to kill Drummond to prevent him from reporting them. They directed him to a secluded area, where Nicklasson shot him twice in the head. Drummond's body was discovered eight days later.

Following this murder, Skillicorn and Nicklasson continued their crime spree. They committed more burglaries and sought assistance from another couple, Joseph and Charlene Babcock, in Arizona, who were also killed. Skillicorn and Nicklasson continued committing crimes as they fled, including an attempted purse snatching in California. While in Mexico, Skillicorn allegedly killed another woman, though this was not substantiated.

Dennis Skillicorn was arrested in San Diego about six weeks after the murder of Drummond. During the investigation, he confessed to police, outlining his role in both murders and numerous robberies. His criminal history included a second-degree murder conviction from a previous crime in 1979. Ultimately, he was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Richard Drummond and received a death sentence. He was executed by lethal injection in Missouri on May 20, 2009.