Bringing the killer(s) of Steve Watkins to justice

12-16-09 Update

2009-12-16T13:21:00.001-08:00

Solicitation for Murder for Hire 2 counts!

Bond Remains at 5 million

Thanks Anne for the update.

Article from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida (2)

2009-10-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

SEMINOLE — More arrests are possible in the November slaying of an Illinois man that already led to the arrest of a 74-year-old Seminole woman on first-degree murder charges, the Illinois state police said.

Shirley Skinner, the 74-year-old grandmother of the victim's estranged wife, was arrested in Clearwater on Monday as she left a pizza restaurant with family members. She is being held without bail.

With Skinner during the arrest was her 31-year-old granddaughter, Jennifer Watkins, whose estranged husband, Steven, was killed with a single gunshot to the back of his head.

The couple was in the midst of a divorce and a battle for custody of their 2-year-old daughter, Sidney, who was with the group Monday. Steven Watkins was killed during a court-ordered visitation. He was to seek full custody of Sidney at a court hearing the next day.

Shirley and Kenneth Skinner, Jennifer Watkins and Sidney were all in the house when police arrived in response to a call of a custody dispute and found Steven Watkins dead, Ashland police Chief Jim Birdsell testified in Watkins' inquest, according to the Journal-Courier in Jacksonville, Ill.

Dan Fultz, one of two Springfield lawyers representing Skinner, told the Journal-Courier he did not know what led to Monday's arrest.

"State police said at the press conference that the investigation is ongoing and that additional arrests are possible," Fultz said.

Fultz told the newspaper he was coming to Florida at the request of Skinner's family. "The family has asked us to assist with the extradition proceedings," Fultz said. He expected that Skinner will waive extradition at a hearing, possibly as early as Tuesday.

"We're going to let the investigation take its course and we will defend her accordingly," Fultz said.

Fultz also represents Jennifer Watkins. He said he did not expect her to be arrested. Jennifer Watkins, her daughter and her grandmother moved to Seminole eight or nine months ago, Fultz said.

Steven Watkins' mother said she felt better now that there has been an arrest. "I'm glad that somebody is being charged with Steven's murder," said Penny Watkins. "I do feel better. I feel like it's been a long battle. I feel like it's not over yet."

The case was moved in May at the request of the local prosecutor's office to the Illinois State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor's Office, a statewide prosecution agency with more resources.

Skinner, Jennifer Watkins and her brother Joshua Webster lived at 513 Skipper Drive in the Lake Seminole Estates Mobile Home Park, according to Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Skinner moved to Seminole shortly after Steven Watkins' death two days before Thanksgiving.

No one answered the door at Skinner's residence Tuesday morning. A Cadillac with Illinois plates was in the carport.

By Brant James, St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer
www.tampabay.com

Article from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida

2009-10-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

74-year-old Seminole woman charged in Illinois murder

SEMINOLE — A 74-year-old great-grandmother was arrested on a murder charge Monday in connection with a homicide in Illinois last year, authorities said.

Pinellas County sheriff's officials arrested Shirley J. Skinner as she exited Cristino's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria in Clearwater with family members at about 5 p.m.

Skinner, who was living at 513 Skipper Lane in Lake Seminole Estates Mobile Home Park in Seminole, is charged with killing her adult granddaughter's estranged husband in Ashland, Ill., in November 2008. Officials said Skinner left Illinois after killing Steven Watkins, 32.

Pinellas deputies assisted Illinois authorities in arresting Skinner. At the time of her arrest, she was with three family members, including her granddaughter, Jennifer Watkins, 31, and Watkins' 2-year-old daughter, Sidney Watkins.

Jennifer and Steven Watkins were five months into in divorce proceedings when he was killed. The couple dated for a month before entering a marriage that lasted just over a year, said Penny Watkins, the victim's mother.

The shooting happened two days before Thanksgiving. Watkins was shot in the back of the head when he went to a home owned by Skinner to pick up his daughter for a court-ordered visit. A court hearing was scheduled for the next morning in which Steven Watkins was seeking full custody of the child, Penny Watkins said.

"All he wanted was to be a part of Sidney's life," said Watkins, 52, of Chandlerville, Ill. "Their biggest problem was that Jennifer did not want to share Sidney."

Watkins' death, which will be featured in a future segment of Dateline NBC, has prompted vigils in Chandlerville, where he lived. Supporters have also documented the case at stevenwatkins.blogspot.com.

Jennifer Watkins could not be reached Monday night, nor could attorneys for her or Skinner. Skinner has no previous criminal history.

Capt. Scott Compton of the Illinois State Police said Skinner is scheduled for an extradition hearing this morning.

Lenny Cristino, owner of the restaurant where the arrest took place in the parking lot, said Skinner and her family sat down and had four entrees and finished with espresso, gelato and chocolate cake. He remembered one thing about the head of the table.

"She looked like a nice old lady," Cristino said.

Link to this article http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/74-year-old-seminole-woman-charged-in-illinois-murder/1041793

An arrest has been made

2009-10-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Grandmother arrested in Ashland shooting death

Shirley J. Skinner, 74, grandmother of the estranged wife of the late Steven P. Watkins, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in the Chandlerville man's death.

Skinner was arrested without incident in Seminole, Fla., Illinois State Police announced during a news conference late Monday afternoon.

State police also said the investigation into the death continues and that anyone with information is encouraged to call a tip line at (217) 557-8187.

Watkins, 32, was shot in the back of the head two days before Thanksgiving when he went to the Ashland home of his estranged wife, Jennifer, to pick up his 18-month-old daughter for a court-ordered visit.

Skinner's lawyer, Dan Fultz, said his client was being held on $5 million bond. Fultz said she will not fight extradition. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

"We're going to let the investigation take its course and act accordingly," Fultz said.

Steven Watkins’ mother, Penny Watkins, said this afternoon she’s relieved that there’s been an arrest.

“It’s like finally … finally,” she said.

Penny Watkins said she told her son’s 9-year-old daughter of the arrest.

“I just told her, ‘Alex, they’ve just arrested somebody for taking Daddy’s life.’”

Illinois State Police announced last week their investigators had joined the probe into the death.

Posted Oct 05, 2009 @ 04:46 PM on www.sj-r.com

‘Dateline NBC’ to feature Ashland killing

2009-09-30T16:43:00.001-07:00

“Dateline NBC” is planning a report on the killing of Steven P. Watkins in Ashland last November.

Watkins, 32, was shot in the back of the head two days before Thanksgiving when he went to the home of his estranged wife to pick up his 18-month-old daughter for a court-ordered visit.
His estranged wife and her grandmother have retained attorneys, but no one has been arrested or charged.

“Our interest stems from the nature of this crime — a devoted father shot in the back of his head, allegedly over a dispute about his baby, in the home of his estranged wife’s family — and yet almost a year later, no one has been charged despite the outrage of his family and the support of his community,” wrote Jenny Tartikoff, NBC publicist, in an email to The State Journal-Register.

Dan Fultz, attorney for Watkins’ estranged wife, declined to respond.

“We’re going to let the investigation take its course and act accordingly,” Fultz said.

Tartikoff said the network has not scheduled a broadcast date.

Penny Watkins, the victim’s mother, said she hopes national attention will prevent people from forgetting about the killing. She said she’s optimistic that her son’s killer will be brought to justice.

“I’m a believer, and I believe that God will handle this,” Penny Watkins said.

Meanwhile, Illinois State Police have joined the investigation, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the agency. Anyone with information on the killing should call 557-8187, state police said in the release.

Some Great News!

2009-09-10T20:39:00.001-07:00

NBC Dateline will be here to start interviews next week! You can run from murder but you can't hide, national media for the Watkins family = exposure of those in the household where Steven was murdered!

Thank you Anne for the info.

From Anne

2009-08-31T18:54:00.000-07:00

Nine months ago, November 25, 2008, somebody shot 32-year-old Steven Watkins in the back of the head inside a house at 11 Horseshoe Drive in Ashland, Illinois. Watkins worked for the Illinois Dept of Healthcare and Family Services. He had gone to the house to pick up his 2-year-old daughter, Sydney for a court ordered visitation from his estranged wife, Jennifer Webster Watkins who lived there with her maternal grandparents, parents, and a couple of brothers.

Their family is affluent by local standards and the extended family owns several businesses in surrounding Cass County. Watkins and his estranged wife Jennifer were due in court the following day, Nov 26, 2008, for ongoing divorce proceedings.

At any rate Watkins was standing in a room with approx 3-6 members of his wife’s family, apparently including her, when he was shot one time in the back of the head. The coroner’s report said that from the bullet’s trajectory the shooter was either sitting or shorter than Watkins.

The story gets a little fuzzy from that point on, but apparently the grandmother, 82-year-old Shirley Skinner claimed she had an anxiety attack and paramedics were called to take her to the hospital. On arrival paramedics noticed Watkins dead in the middle of the room and called police and then proceeded to take Skinner to the hospital.

The police chief, Jim Birdsell (a retired Illinois Secretary of State police officer) arrived on the scene and reportedly found the murder weapon wiped of prints and in the hall closet. From the outset Birdsell denied all requests for media interviews and my contact with Illinois State Police says he also turned down repeated offers of assistance from that agency.

In six months the Cass County state’s attorney, John Dahlem, never filed any charges in the case and never took it to the grand jury. Then on May 15, 2009 at the direction of Cass County Circuit Judge Bob Hardwick Jr., the case was turned over the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Appellate Prosecutor’s office, to a guy named Mike Vujovich.

Vujovich has turned down any media requests to talk about it and in the three months since receiving the case has filed no charges and not called a grand jury to hear the facts. He also now refuses to talk with the Watkins family about any progress he may have made.

Watkin’s mother says in the months preceding his death his wife had filed charges of child molestation against Steven which a judge found to be groundless and dismissed.

At any rate the facts are pretty clear.

Nine months after he was shot in the back of the head inside the home of his estranged wife’s family no charges have been filed.

We know that both the grandmother and the estranged wife/widow have hired some of the highest priced defense attorneys in Springfield.

Nine months after his murder Watkins parents and other relatives have been prohibited from seeing his 2-year-old daughter. In fact the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services told a local newspaper reporter that they have lost track of Jennifer Watkins/Webster’s whereabouts because there is no pending legal action against her. Penny Watkins says a caseworker told her that the 2-year-old daughter is in no danger because reason for the friction between Jennifer and Steven (i.e. Steven) is no longer alive!

Watkin’s mother, Penny Watkins is very accessible along with various friends. A search of Springfield’s State Journal Register archives and the archives of the Jacksonville Journal Courier will give you some more details, but some of those are linked in a website started by a complete stranger: www.stevenwatkins.blogspot.com

Please copy and paste this story and send it out to everyone in your address book, we need to get Justice!

SJ-R article posted 8-26-09

2009-08-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Vigil seeks justice for Ashland murder victim

ASHLAND — .From Jacksonville, Beardstown, Springfield, Petersburg and points in between, hundreds of people came to Ashland Tuesday night to remember Steven Watkins, nine months after he was gunned down at the home of his estranged wife and her family.

Some knew him, some did not. But all said they were seeking justice in a case that began two days before Thanksgiving, when Watkins, 32, was gunned down from behind. He had gone to the home to pick up his youngest daughter Sidney for a court-ordered visit.

There have been no arrests.

Clutching a rose and a sign reading “Justice For Steven,” Alex Watkins, 9, did her best when a television reporter asked what she remembered most about her father. She blinked, started speaking in a barely audible voice and then broke down in sobs.

Organizers started with 300 candles. Just two remained on a picnic table at James Park when the crowd started the walk to the home of Ken and Shirley Skinner, grandparents of Watkins’ wife Jennifer, a few blocks away.

Bill Troxell of Ashland said the lack of charges has given his town a bad image.

“Nobody’s very happy about it,” Troxell said. “It’s been almost a year that somebody was murdered. We’re not getting any information from public officials.”

Kyra Taylor, Alex Watkins’ first-grade teacher, and Diane Sieving, who taught her in second grade, walked side by side. Most fathers don’t spend much time asking teachers about their kids, they said, but Steven Watkins was different.

“He was an amazing dad,” Sieving said. “I never had a dad like him.”

Luminaries lined the street as the procession neared the Skinner home. Neighbors, some holding candles, stood in driveways and porches, waving and offering encouragement.

Three cars were in the driveway and a light was on inside when the procession reached the Skinner home.

Jon Gray Noll, attorney for Shirley Skinner, said his client, “out of deference,”made it a point to be elsewhere.

Standing at the edge of the yard and driveway, the crowd released helium balloons with cards describing the slaying and urging whoever finds them to ask elected officials for justice.

The crowd left flowers, written prayers and photos of Steven Watkins. Several balloons tangled themselves in trees in the front yard.

“Wow—how many people are here?” asked Chris Chlarson of Jacksonville, who heard about the gathering on the radio and brought a video camera. “I thought, ‘I’m going to come here and see what this is all about.’”

As the crowd walked back toward the park in twos, threes and fours, neighbor Glenda Schleyhahn stood on her front porch shouting “Good job!”

Schleyhahn proclaimed the procession “wonderful,” but said she never thought one would be needed.

“This needs to be over,” she said.

SJ-R Article printed 8-23-09

2009-08-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Vigil to be held for Ashland man slain last year

ASHLAND — Organizers of a remembrance for Steven Watkins, slain two days before Thanksgiving last year, are expecting hundreds to participate in a vigil Tuesday outside the Ashland home where he died.
“We’ve ordered 300-and-some candles,” said Anne Plunkett of Virginia, a friend of Watkins who is helping put together a march from James Park to the home on Horseshoe Drive to mark the nine-month anniversary of Watkins’ death. The event is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. People who cannot attend are being asked by organizers to step outside wherever they are at 7:30 p.m. and light a candle in honor of Watkins.
Watkins died from a single gunshot to the back of his head. He was 32. He had gone to the home to pick up his daughter for a court-ordered visit. There have been no arrests.
Plunkett acknowledged that emotions have run high as months have passed with no charges or arrests. She said organizers have arranged security with the Ashland Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
“I have stressed that this is in honor of Steven,” Plunkett said. “This is to keep his memory alive and not to taint it with any kind of violence. It’s peaceful.”

Ashland shooting turned over to state agency (Journal-Courier)

2009-05-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Ashland shooting turned over to state agency

May 15, 2009 - 5:22 PM

BY MARIA NAGLE
Journal-Courier

Cass County Circuit Judge Bob Hardwick Jr. has issued an order appointing the Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor to handle the investigation and prosecution of the homicide of Steven Watkins nearly six months ago in Ashland, the court confirmed Friday.

Cass County State’s Attorney John Dahlem, whose one-man office had been initially involved in the investigation, made the request in consultation with the Appellate Prosecutor’s office, according to a press release issued by the agency that services state’s attorney’s throughout the state.

“It was jointly believed it would be best handled by our office,” said agency spokesman Dan Curry.

It was agreed the resources of the statewide prosecution agency would be better positioned to carry the investigation and prosecution forward, the press release stated.

Because the state’s attorney and the appellate prosecutor had been conferring on the case, the transition of files and other information is expected to be smooth and not interrupt the progress on the case, said Patrick Delfino, Director of the Appellate Prosecutor’s office.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, Special Prosecutor Michael Vujovich, of the Appellate Prosecutor’s office, had been assisting in the case at Mr. Dahlem’s request.

Mr. Dahlem did not return a Journal-Courier phone call Friday requesting comment.

Mr. Curry declined to comment on the status of the ongoing investigation and whether a grand jury will be convened to consider whether or not charges will filed.

Mr. Curry also declined to say which police agencies are assisting the Appellate Prosecutor’s office with its investigation.

Mr. Watkins, of Chandlerville, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of his head on Nov. 25. The shooting occurred at the Ashland home of Kenneth and Shirley Skinner, where Mr. Watkins’ estranged wife, Jennifer Watkins, and the Watkins’ nearly 2-year-old daughter resided. The Skinners are Ms. Watkins’ maternal grandparents. Mr. Watkins went there to pick up his daughter for a court-ordered visitation.

Right between Mayberry and Pixley you’ll find Ashland

2009-05-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

The only perfect crime in Illinois during the past few years apparently happened just a few miles west of Springfield in the tiny speedbump of a town called Ashland. Never been to Ashland? You’d be in pretty good company. Unless you’re driving up to Beardstown you’d have no reason to go through the town…and even then unless you’re paying attention you’re probably not going to notice the name of the town between Pleasant Plains and Philadelphia.
But don’t be surprised if the story of the crime that happened in Ashland last November doesn’t make it onto some TV producer’s desk at some point. Because back on November 25th of last year somebody shot Steven Watkins in the back of the head and despite there being about a half dozen people in the room at the time nobody has ever been charged with the crime….talk about your unsolved mysteries!
I started calling the Ashland police chief, Jim Birdsell, a guy who moonlights as a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy a few days after the crime and when I finally got through to him he told me they were working the case but that’s all he would say. That was five months ago…wow talk about the wheels of justice turning slowly. Today the SJ-R is reporting that Watkin’s estranged (at the time of his murder) wife has now apparently left the state with the couple’s 2-year-old daughter Sidney, whom Watkins had gone to visit at the girl’s grandmother’s house when he took that bullet to the back of his head.
So here’s what I’m curious about. What do you have to do to get justice in Cass County? I wanted to put that question to the Cass County State’s Attorney John Dahlem, but he’s never returned my phone calls. I mean I can understand if there were no suspects…but they had a whole room full of them in the Watkin’s murder. Or does Dahlem and Birdsell think that Watkins committed suicide by shooting himself in the back of the head? How often do you think there are crimes where a bunch of people saw it…but everybody is able to keep their mouth shut? Do the witnesses have to be able to convince themselves that the dead guy had it coming? If we assume that they’re members of a local church or civic organization do their friends there shun them? I mean I would hope that if my friends knew I was a party to a murder like this, if they were any kind of human being they would have nothing more to do with me.
What the heck is going on in Ashland?

Posted on www.dimfi.com by Mark Thoma 5-12-09

Mark Thoma's Blog

2009-05-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Got an interesting call at WMAY this morning…from a guy who says he lives about a hundred yards from the house where Steven Watkins was murdered last fall. Watkins if you’re unfamiliar with the story was shot in the back of the head when he went to pick up his 2-year-old daughter for a court ordered visitation. When a paramedic arrived he police that there were a dozen people in the house. And then he apparently took Watkin’s estranged wife’s grandmother, Shirley Skinner to the hospital for an anxiety attack? An anxiety attack?
That was five months ago. And there have been no arrests, no mention of suspects, and as far as we know no grand jury investigating the murder. I have it on good authoritity that the Ashland Police Department has turned down any offers of assistance from the Illinois State Police and the Cass County State’s Attorney…a guy named John Dahlem…won’t return phone calls.
Well where I come from they call that getting away with murder!
But getting away with murder doesn’t sit well with some people, and apparently with at least one person who never even met Steven Watkins. Bobby Sandige has started a blogsite dedicated to seeing justice done and you can link to it here: www.stevenwatkins.blogspot.com On it a lot of people have offered their input on the crime and what’s going on up there in Ashland. There are any number of wild allegations of why the investigation has gone nowhere, including a family connection between Watkin’s in-laws, whose house he was in when he was murdered, and members of local law enforcement.
But here’s the long and short of it. Unless Cass County State’s Attorney John Dahlem wants to do something about this…nothing will be done about this. Now that’s not to say that this is going away. Next month there’s going to be a memorial poker run at a Chandlerville bar owned by Steven Watkins mom and I know some people are even trying to get national media attention focused on what passes for justice in Ashland…and this is the kind of story that the national media loves.
So how do you ensure that justice is served in a small town like this? Or is this the reason that a lot of people prefer not to live in small towns and chose the accountability that only larger towns can give you?
Would you move to Ashland after hearing this story?

You can check out this blog and others at www.dimfi.com

SJ-R article May 11th, 2009

2009-05-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Daughter, widow of slain man move out of state

ASHLAND — .A little girl whose father was slain in Ashland more than five months ago has been taken out of Illinois by her mother, who may be under investigation by the Department of Children and Family Services.

“I am worried to death,” said Jessica Phillips, the aunt of Steven Watkins, who was gunned down on Nov. 25, when he went to pick up his 2-year-old daughter, Sidney, for court-ordered visitation. “It’s a matter of public safety.”

Watkins and his estranged wife, Jennifer, were due in court the next day for a hearing in their ongoing divorce proceedings. Watkins died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head. There have been no arrests. Authorities say the case remains under investigation.

Out of concern for Sidney, Watkins’ aunt says she called DCFS the day her nephew died.

“I fear for her life,” Phillips says. “I don’t even know if she’s OK, nothing.”

But there may be little DCFS can do.

Dan Fultz, attorney for Jennifer Watkins, said his client has moved out of Illinois for employment reasons, and he believes she took her daughter with her. He said he is unsure of exactly where his client has gone.

“I don’t know exactly when she made that move, but it was some time ago,” Fultz said. “I have every reason to believe that she would have her daughter with her, since she’s a very good mother and would never abandon her. She’s under no order that she remain in Illinois.”

Fultz said DCFS investigators have asked to speak with his client, but he has advised her not to talk. He said he doesn’t think the agency has any authority outside Illinois.

Jimmie Whitlow, DCFS spokesman, would not say what jurisdiction, if any, the agency has beyond state borders.

“I cannot comment on a pending investigation,” Whitlow said. “The investigation, of course, involves the allegation of putting that child at risk. There was an allegation of risk of harm or, better yet, a general category: the allegation of abuse.”

Whitlow said the DCFS investigation is open. However, Phillips and Penny Watkins, Steven Watkins’ mother, said agency officials have told them the investigation is over.

“DCFS closed their case, either last week or the week before — that’s what the DCFS lady told me,” Penny Watkins said.

“I feel like I’m tied up somewhere and absolutely cannot do a thing, and they are torturing my family,” Penny Watkins said. “That’s how I feel: My son’s been murdered, and my family lives in torture every day.”

John Dahlem, Cass County state’s attorney, did not return two phone messages and an e-mail last week. Penny Watkins said she last spoke with him on Thursday.

“They just keep telling us that they’re working on it, be patient,” Penny Watkins said.

A paramedic who responded to the scene has said a dozen or so people were inside the house when he arrived after the shooting. Shirley Skinner, Jennifer Watkins’ grandmother, has also retained an attorney who concentrates on criminal defense.

“She retained our office because she was concerned about possible repercussions from the death of Mr. Watkins,” said Jon Gray Noll, Skinner’s lawyer. Noll said he has represented Skinner “since the incident.”

Noll said he hasn’t spoken with prosecutors or police in more than a month.

“They have no basis for charges,” Noll said. “My client is not guilty of murder. She’s not guilty of anything untoward.

“I know the state’s attorney is a very meticulous prosecutor, and he will take whatever actions he needs to take.”

Message from a blogger

2009-05-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hello. I did not know Steve nor do I know his family but he sounded like a great guy & a WONDERFUL father from the comments that have been made. I just want his family to know that I know EXACTLY what they are going through!!! I myself experienced the unruly experience of our "wonderful" justice system in Cass County!! My cousin was MURDERED on August 10, 1996 in Beardstown and to this date we still have gotten NO JUSTICE for him!! It has now been almost 13 years and I STILL fight for justice for him!! I have every newspaper article from back when he was killed & I wrote to EVERY official I could think of, including the President (who was Bill Clinton at that time). I also have letters from all of those officials from where they responded to my letters and every one of them said....THEY COULD NOT HELP....it was up to our prosecutor to handle that. HAHA!! Yeah right!!! When he was killed I PROMISED him justice & until my dying last breath I will fight for that justice. So I truly understand what the Watkins family is going through! My cousins murderer, however, was publicly known but he ran to Mexico & Mexico REFUSED to turn him over to us. The states attorney did however try to get him back here BUT in my opinion, he didnt try hard enough or he wouldve been back here years ago & in prison where he belongs!! And since then, our case is like its been swept under the rug & forgotten about. Everyone has went on with their lives, celebrated every holiday, every birthday but my cousin has missed what will soon be 13 years of holidays & birthdays...and myself, I think of him EVERY SINGLE DAY! So my deepest sympathy is with the Watkins family & I wish them the best of luck in getting Steve the justice he deserves!!! Just remember this much...if you are not satisfied with how things are going...go a step ABOVE the law here!! Go to higher officials...thats what I did! I did it but got no help but maybe you will...mine was an international issue, yours is not.
DONT EVER GIVE UP!!

Sincerely.....

Terri Jo Dunmire
Arenzville, Illinois

(Cousin of Murder Victim: Travis Brewer)

Letter to the Editor Dec 29th

2009-04-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Wants Ashland crime solved as soon as possible

A man was shot in the head and killed in the little town of Ashland over a month ago and as of yet we have heard of no arrests or, for that matter, any possible suspects. Which is very odd considering the fact that he was shot in his in-laws’ home.

The family of this young man must be going crazy wondering what the law is waiting for. I truly hope the Ashland police are taking this time to do a thorough investigation and not “sweeping this under the rug” merely to save the standing of their friends.

God be with the Watkins Family.

James Curry
Springfield

Answers lacking in Ashland shooting

2009-04-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

It still hurts for loved ones nearly one month after Steven P. Watkins was shot to death at the home of his estranged wife’s parents in Ashland.

Elmer Betancourt, who trained Watkins to work at the child-support enforcement call center at the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services, sensed something was wrong when he walked into the office the morning before Thanksgiving. People were huddled together in knots. At first, he thought the phones were out, a big problem in an office that fields child-support inquiries from parents across the state. Then another supervisor called him into her office and broke the awful news.

“I cried,” Betancourt said. “And then I realized I still had a job to do. So we went out there and got everybody together. Mary (one of Betancourt’s fellow supervisors) told them.

“Then, everybody cried. Some people had to leave.”

As Christmas nears, there have been no arrests, no resolution, no closure for those who knew, loved and worked with Watkins.

Ashland Police Chief Jim Birdsell refuses to say anything about the case except “no comment” and that the investigation continues. He acknowledges that townfolk want answers, but says he can’t know when his investigation might be finished.

“It’s not TV,” Birdsell said last week. “I’m trying to do a thorough investigation. It’s very important, but I want to do it right.”

Eula Baker, who works at the bank in Chandlerville where Watkins grew up and settled in a house near his parents, said the town was in shock after the shooting, and no one has forgotten.

“People want to see justice done,” Baker said. “It’s a human thing.”

No one answered the door Wednesday at the upscale ranch home where Watkins died on the living room floor.

Baker and others who knew him say they can’t imagine that Watkins would have done anything that justified a bullet to the head. He was going through an ugly divorce and was due in court the day after he died for a hearing with his estranged wife.

Co-workers remember Watkins, 32, as the guy who always smiled, a morale booster in a place where 50 or so state employees answer questions about child support from parents who are not always in the best of moods. About 20 people from the Springfield office where he worked went to his funeral on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Before going to work for the state in 2006, Watkins served in the Coast Guard, but he never talked about those days. Betancourt, a Marine Corps veteran, said he didn’t know that Watkins had been in the military until he died.

His two daughters were constants. Watkins had pictures of them in his cubicle and plenty of stories.

“He would give them animal crackers,” recalled Nancy Oschwald, call-center manager. “They would play with the oven and act like they were baking cookies.”

Watkins was due to pick up his 2-year-old when he was killed. Birdsell would not say where the girl was when her father was shot. Watkins had custody of his older daughter, the product of a previous relationship.

“That’s all he lived for, his two little girls,” Baker said.

Before the shooting, police say they were called to the Ashland home about a custody dispute. Betancourt said Watkins had told him that visitation wasn’t easy.

“He would say he was having trouble seeing his kid — when he goes there, she’s sick or she’s not there,” Betancourt said.

Co-workers say Watkins was a calm man, not the sort to raise his voice, even when speaking to his estranged wife on the phone after his marriage soured. Betancourt said Watkins always sat in the front row during training sessions and had a bright future with the state.

“He was a good kid,” Betancourt said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you it doesn’t hurt. It does hurt.”

Watkins’ cubicle is empty now, his personal effects gathered up and given to his family. But Watkins is not forgotten.

“He’ll always be part of our group at the call center, whether he’s here or not,” Oschwald said.

Posted Posted Dec 21, 2008 on SJ-R.com

Letter to the editor in SJ-R 3-21-09

2009-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

How much time do police need in Watkins case?
We would like to add our names to the growing list of citizens in this community concerned with the lack of action regarding the investigation into the murder of Steve Watkins.

We have waited patiently for some sign of progress but feel that we have now reached a point in time where the lack of arrests is preposterous. It has been nearly four months since Steve was murdered on the eve of a custody hearing while trying to pick up his daughter for his scheduled visitation night.

How long will it take for investigators to piece together what transpired on the night of Steve’s tragic death?

It is our hope that things will begin falling into place soon so that Steve’s family and many friends can get some answers and so that his murderers can be brought to justice.

Joseph and Kristi Edwards
Virginia

Letter to the Editor SJ-R 3-5-09

2009-03-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

Has many questions about Watkins case

I am appalled at the fact that no one has been arrested for the murder of this young man, Steven Paul Watkins. People have only wonderful things to say about him in the articles I have read, so what brought the murder on? How in the world could someone shoot someone in the back who came to pick up his daughter for visitation?
When I read that he lived and died for his daughters, it just really makes me very mad that something so horrible could happen and yet three months later, no one is arrested. That is a total joke on the part of the police investigating this case. Arrest everyone who was in the house at the time this horrific crime occurred, put them in jail, and charge them with obstruction of justice until someone speaks.
To whomever did the shooting: How can you live with yourself, you murderer, whoever you are? And how can you face those two granddaughters knowing you killed the father they loved so much? How will you explain that to them when they are old enough to understand? How will you fill that void in their heart by living without their father for the rest of their lives?
How could they have called for help for the older lady having chest pains before calling for help for the young man who had been shot? There are so many unanswered questions. I would like someone to get to the bottom of it all and make an arrest.
Where is the justice in this case?

Sharon Brown
Riverton

A message from the Moderator

2009-03-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

If you were a friend of Steve, or if you are just like me, and would just like justice in the case, please leave a comment. I feel that if the authorities aren't going to do enough, perhaps us, as an online community, can.

SJ-R article March 1st, 2009

2009-03-01T17:13:00.001-08:00

Steven Paul Watkins lived — and died — for his daughters, his family says.
If Watkins hadn’t loved his daughter Sidney, he wouldn’t have been shot in the back of the head three months ago at the home of his estranged wife in Ashland, his relatives say. He was there to pick up Sidney for a court-ordered visit. There have been no arrests. Police say it’s a case of first-degree murder.
Kenneth Skinner, grandfather of Watkins’ estranged wife, Jennifer, and owner of the home where Watkins died, didn’t want to talk about the killing on Friday.
“Nope — can’t do it,” Skinner said.
But those who loved Steven Watkins have lots to say about a man who called his mother at least twice a day. They say he was a man who not only made home videos of his children, but also tacked Hollywood-style movie credits onto the footage. Sidney was Peanut. Alex was Al. Together, they were Daddy’s little girls. And their father still lives, at least on the big-screen television at his sister’s house in Chandlerville.
“There they are!” Watkins cries as his grinning daughters scamper toward a pasture clutching apples. “There’s the horses!”
Watkins and his estranged wife were due in court the day after he died, and his family says he believed he would be granted increased visitation. Watkins was determined to see Sidney as much as possible, they say, and that’s why he went to Ashland.
“He wanted to be in his daughter’s life, and that’s what cost him his life,” his uncle, Lucky Phillips, said.
Milestones are passing for Watkins’ family. Thanksgiving. Christmas. His sister’s wedding. Watkins would have been 33 on Feb. 7. Alex is 9. Sidney will turn 2 in June. Last week marked three months without their dad.
“Every day is an anniversary, and every day is a hole,” Phillips said. “You can’t imagine what we’re feeling every day.”
Save for four years in the Coast Guard and a short while in Ashland before divorce proceedings began — married in August 2006, he separated from his wife 15 months later – Watkins lived his entire life in Chandlerville. He would have joined the military earlier than he did, his mother says, except his grandfather didn’t like the idea, and Watkins, who had “Granddad” tattooed on his arm, wanted to spend time with him. Once his grandfather died, Watkins enlisted.
“He wanted out of Chandlerville,” his father, Dale, said. “He wanted to see the rest of the world.”
But Watkins was never worldly, his mom, Penny, says. He moved in with his estranged wife after the first date, Penny Watkins said. It was his second marriage. His romances ended as quickly as they began, his family said.
“Steve thought everybody was who they appeared to be,” Penny Watkins said. “He was innocent when it came to love. Steven, if he’d lived to be 96, he’d still be a kid.”
Watkins’ family never doubted that he would return to Chandlerville after four years in the Coast Guard. He landed a job in Springfield answering telephones at the child support enforcement call center for the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
When he wasn’t working, he was doting on his children. He had custody of Alex, and she was beside him last year when he dug a vegetable garden by hand. Soon, he was bringing relatives cucumbers, radishes and lettuce.
On Friday, those same relatives sat around a kitchen table looking stricken. Penny Watkins cried.
“I don’t have faith in the justice system,” she said. “I have faith in God to look after the justice system.”
Penny Watkins and her relatives say they speak regularly with police and prosecutors. The news is never definitive.
“You always get told, ‘We’re doing the best we can, we’re working on it — give us a couple weeks,’” Penny Watkins said.
Neither John Dahlem, Cass County state’s attorney, nor Ashland Police Chief Jim Birdsell could be reached for comment on Friday.
Bob Daniel, a paramedic summoned from Virginia, about a dozen miles from Ashland, said the scene was “mostly chaotic” when he arrived in response to a report of an elderly woman complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. Watkins was dead on the floor, Daniel said, but no one had yet called the coroner. About a dozen people were in the house, he said.
“The family at the scene were primarily interested in (the elderly woman’s) medical condition,” Daniel said. “I think they called family before they called anyone else. The house was full. They were all cordoned off in another room — I assume the police chief did that. I made the first call to the coroner.”
Someone knows who killed Steven Watkins, his family says. They want that person to come forward. They want the killer to admit what happened. But there can be no justice in a situation like this, they say. The loss is too deep.
While Alex lives with Dale and Penny Watkins, Sidney is with her mother. Watkins’ family says they worry about her.
Watkins is buried in Chandlerville.
“Right next to his grandfather,” Penny Watkins said.

SJ-R article January 23rd 2009

2009-03-01T17:12:00.001-08:00

ASHLAND — Police served a search warrant Thursday at an Ashland home where a Chandlerville man was gunned down two days before Thanksgiving.
No one has been arrested in the killing of Steven P. Watkins, 32, who died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head when he went to the home belonging to his estranged wife’s grandparents to pick up his 2-year-old daughter, Sidney, on Nov. 25.
Watkins’ estranged wife, Jennifer, and her grandparents, Kenneth and Shirley Skinner, were in the home when police arrived the day of the shooting, authorities have said.
Ashland police and crime-scene investigators with the Illinois State Police spent about two hours in the home Thursday. They emerged holding nothing but notebooks and a camera.
Police are investigating the shooting as a case of first-degree murder.
According to an affidavit signed by Ashland Police Chief Jim Birdsell that was presented to a judge who signed the search warrant, police wanted access to the home so they could make a diagram.
The affidavit doesn’t say who might be a suspect, and police have been tight-lipped about the investigation. The person with the gun was at least two feet away from Watkins when it was fired, according to the affidavit and testimony given Tuesday at an inquest.
The gun was found “quite a distance” from Watkins’ body, Birdsell told the inquest jury.
Cass County State’s Attorney John Dahlem would not answer questions about the case Thursday, and Birdsell said “no comment” in response to several questions.
However, The State Journal-Register has learned that investigators did not perform gunshot-residue testing on people in the home to help determine who might have fired the weapon.
Cass County Sheriff David Osmer, who is assisting with the investigation, confirmed that no testing was performed.
Osmer said tests weren’t performed on Shirley Skinner because she was taken to a hospital after the shooting for treatment of some sort of medical complaint.
“That’s what I was told,” Osmer said.
Osmer said the lack of testing hasn’t harmed the investigation. But a leading expert in gunshot-residue testing said such tests, while not infallible, are a good idea in homicide cases.
“The reason for that is because, in population studies, the average guy walking down the street — the plumber, the electrician — doesn’t have this stuff on them,” said Michael Trimpe, a forensic scientist with the Hamilton County coroner’s office in Cincinnati. Trimpe performs about 250 residue tests a year.
“If you do have this stuff on your hands, you need to explain why,” he said.
In 2005, 40 forensic scientists from around the nation, including Trimpe, who attended an FBI symposium on gunshot-residue testing unanimously agreed that sampling should be done at homicide scenes as soon as possible.
Experts say gunshot residue — particles expelled from gun barrels upon firing — can linger on a person’s hands for as long as 12 hours. But testing isn’t perfect. In general, a person who is standing three feet to one side of a shooter will have gunshot residue on them, Trimpe said, and a person 10 feet away will not.
“Every firing of a weapon is different,” Trimpe said. “Interpretation can be tough.”
Osmer said he doesn’t know how much physical evidence has been gathered. Nor could he say when the investigation might be complete.
“Hopefully, in the end, everything will come together,” Osmer said. “It’s going to be awhile.”

Sj-R article January 20th 2009

2009-03-01T17:03:00.001-08:00

BEARDSTOWN - A Chandlerville man shot to death at his estranged wife’s home in Ashland nearly two months ago died from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head, the Cass County coroner told a coroner’s jury at an inquest today.The coroner’s jury was out for barely a minute before formally declaring the obvious: Steven Paul Watkins, 32, was a homicide victim. At the end of the 20-minute proceeding, Coroner Wyatt Sager looked out at Watkins’ sobbing relatives and apologized.“My personal condolences to your entire family for what I know must seem like what is a horribly drawn-out nightmare that you have relived countless times,” Sager said. “I’m sorry that it took this long to even get you a death certificate. Forgive me for how long it’s taken.”At the end of the proceedings, Penny Watkins, Steven’s mother, hugged Ashland Police Chief Jim Birdsell as tears streamed down her face.While the cause and manner of death are now official, no one has been arrested or otherwise held accountable for the Nov. 25 killing in the Ashland home where Watkins’ estranged wife, Jennifer, lived with her grandparents, Shirley and Kenneth Skinner.Watkins, who was there to pick up his 2-year-old daughter, Sidney, for a court-ordered visit, had no drugs or alcohol in his system.He was shot with a 9 mm Glock Model 17C, which was found on a cardboard box quite a distance from the body, Birdsell testified. The bullet traveled upward, entering the base of Watkins skull and lodging inside his head, Birdsell told the jury.“The crime scene - what I would call a crime scene - was processed by an Illinois State Police crime tech,” Birdsell said.At least four people - Jennifer Watkins, her grandparents and the 2-year-old girl - were in the home when authorities arrived, Birdsell told the jury.In an interview afterward, Sager thought several moments before saying whether he thought the killing was justifiable, murder or something else.“My personal feeling is that it was just a needless killing,” Sager said.Steven Watkins, a Coast Guard veteran, had no history of violence and worked for the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services in Springfield. Friends and co-workers say he was a devoted father who doted on Sidney and an older half-sister born from a previous relationship. Watkins had custody of the older girl. Dale Watkins, Steven Watkins father, said he does not know where his 2-year-old granddaughter is staying, but she remains with her mother.

SJ-R article December 2nd 2008

2009-03-01T16:59:00.001-08:00

ASHLAND — In the week after Steven Paul Watkins was gunned down, there were no arrests, and his lawyer says Watkins’ family is getting impatient.“They’re devastated,” said attorney Gwendolyn Osmer, who represented Watkins in divorce proceedings that were dismissed the day after he died. “They feel at this point that the system is failing them. They have a lot of questions that remain unanswered.”Watkins was killed Nov. 25 at the home of his estranged wife’s parents.Cass County State’s Attorney John Dahlem declined an interview request Monday. Ashland Police Chief Jim Birdsell said Tuesday that although there had been no arrests, people were being interviewed about the shooting. He did not want to comment about possible suspects.Police have said that officers were on their way to the upscale ranch home to investigate a child-custody dispute when Watkins, 32, was shot in the head. He was found dead on a living room floor.Court documents show a short-lived marriage and a rocky path toward divorce.Married in August 2006, Watkins and his wife, Jennifer, separated in November 2007, just five months after their daughter was born. He worked for the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services, earning $39,852 per year, according to the state comptroller’s office. She works for AT&T. In February, Illinois National Bank filed foreclosure papers against the couple’s house, which is less than a block from the home where Watkins was shot. The bank, which said the couple owed $75,541 and hadn’t made payments in more than six months, withdrew the lawsuit a month after filing it. It’s not clear why.Jennifer Watkins, 31, was at her parents’ house when she was served with divorce papers in June. Her husband accused her of “extreme and repeated mental cruelty” and asked for custody of their now 11/2-year-old daughter, plus child support. Jennifer Watkins accused her husband of abusing their daughter, a charge the state Department of Children and Family Services determined was unfounded. In addition to subpoenaing the DCFS investigator, Steven Watkins asked that a judge interview his 9-year-old daughter from another relationship to confirm that he had done nothing wrong.Bad feelings stretched to at least one relative. In September, Steven Watkins’ mother obtained an order of protection against his wife, who she said had come to her home in Chandlerville contrary to directions from attorneys in the case, who had told her to stay away. Watkins’ mother said Jennifer Watkins had shouted profanities and pushed her. A judge granted a temporary protective order, which remains in force. One day after Steven Watkins died, a judge extended the order until Jan. 21.In September, a judge granted Jennifer Watkins temporary custody of the couple’s daughter and gave Steven Watkins visitation rights. He was supposed to visit the child between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. He was shot shortly before 6:30 p.m. a week ago Tuesday.The couple was due back in court last Wednesday, but Watkins was killed Tuesday.