Elderly Missouri Man Charged With Gunning Down Woman Found Dead in His Yard

A 79-year-old Missouri man has been arrested charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of a woman found dead in his yard.

Terry Allen also faces a charge of armed criminal action in the death of Tina L. Skaggs, 53, whose body was found late Saturday afternoon, the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office said.

Allen was at the scene and was detained at the time. A judge issued an arrest warrant for him on Sunday, with no bond available.

An autopsy was completed on Monday that said the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

Court documents filed in the case do not provide any details about the shooting or explain the relationship between Skaggs and Allen, other than to say he used a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol. The documents included a hand-written invocation of Allen’s right to a speedy trial in the matter.

An obituary for Skaggs said she is survived by her husband, Dennis, three children — two sons and a daughter — and six grandchildren.

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[Featured image: Terry Allen/Bollinger County Sheriff’s Office]