Skylor Harmon Convicted of First Degree Murder

WMDT

By Ryan Hughes, Reporter

SNOW HILL, Md. - After three days, a Worcester County murder trial is over and a jury found Skylor Harmon guilty of first degree murder. "We've been waiting for this for a year and a couple months now," said Evangela Handy, Reginald's mother.

The Handy family says justice is finally being served and now they can start to get their lives back on track. There was hugs and clapping moments after the verdict was read Thursday convicting their son's killer - Skylor Harmon of first-degree murder. It only took two days of testimony and three hours of deliberation."I think they found the right shooter and I believe he did it - he stood up there like he don't have no worries like he didn't care no remorse or anything," said Renasha Handy, Reginald's sister.

The guilty verdict comes 17 months after Reginald Handy Junior was shot in the back in Pocomoke City. A fight broke out on Laurel street ending in gunfire. Harmon's uncle -- Alexander Crippen was the original suspect. But autopsy results proved he did not pull the trigger. Then, in June the judge declared a mistrial after a jury could not determine Harmon was the killer. This time around prosecutors brought forth new evidence and additional eyewitnesses that proved Harmon killed Handy. "We knew we had a strong case and credible witnesses who were going to tell a very compelling story," said Worcester County State's Attorney Beau Oglesby.

A story that now has Harmon looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars. "I'm glad that he's looking down at us.  I know he's happy they found justice today - I'm just happy," said Renasha.

Skylor Harmon's family declined an on-camera interview but they told me, "This is not over."     Meanwhile, the judge has ordered a pre-sentence investigation before he determines his sentencing.

Source;  http://www.wmdt.com/story/15744456/skylor-harmon-convicted-of-first-degree-murder

Testimony Underway In Skylor Harmon Re-Trial

Written by

Scott Muska
Staff Writer
October 18, 2011
SNOW HILL — The re-trial of a 19-year-old charged with committing murder with an assault rifle got underway Tuesday with opening arguments and the first of the prosecution’s witnesses.

Skylor Dupree Harmon, 19, of Pocomoke City, had his first trial end in a mistrial in July when jurors were unable to agree on a verdict. Harmon is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Reginald Handy Jr.

Among the defense’s witnesses Tuesday were Deputy Dale Trotter, a crime scene investigator for the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation. Cropper and members of the State’s Attorney’s office returned on Sunday night to the area of 500 Young St., where the military-grade assault rifle had been found the day after the murder.

Trotter testified that if he had been standing in that area with the gun at the time of night the murder was committed, he would have been able to shoot a person standing where the victim had been shot.

From the area where the gun was found to the area where Handy was shot was about 65 yards, according to Trotter, who said the distance was “definitely” in the rifle’s range.


Testimony is scheduled to continue tomorrow and Thursday.


Harmon's uncle, Alexander Crippen, was originally charged in the May 2010 murder, but charges were dropped before Crippen's trial. Crippen was later convicted of attempting to kill a different man, based on testimony about his actions at the same scene where Handy died.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111018/NEWS01/111018030/SNOW-HILL-Testimony-underway-Skylor-Harmon-re-trial

Testimony Underway In Skylor Harmon Re-Trial

Written by Scott Muska

Staff Writer
October 18, 2011

SNOW HILL — The re-trial of a 19-year-old charged with committing murder with an assault rifle got underway Tuesday with opening arguments and the first of the prosecution’s witnesses.

Skylor Dupree Harmon, 19, of Pocomoke City, had his first trial end in a mistrial in July when jurors were unable to agree on a verdict. Harmon is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Reginald Handy Jr.


Among the defense’s witnesses Tuesday were Deputy Dale Trotter, a crime scene investigator for the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation. Cropper and members of the State’s Attorney’s office returned on Sunday night to the area of 500 Young St., where the military-grade assault rifle had been found the day after the murder.

Trotter testified that if he had been standing in that area with the gun at the time of night the murder was committed, he would have been able to shoot a person standing where the victim had been shot.

From the area where the gun was found to the area where Handy was shot was about 65 yards, according to Trotter, who said the distance was “definitely” in the rifle’s range.

Testimony is scheduled to continue tomorrow and Thursday.

Harmon's uncle, Alexander Crippen, was originally charged in the May 2010 murder, but charges were dropped before Crippen's trial. Crippen was later convicted of attempting to kill a different man, based on testimony about his actions at the same scene where Handy died.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111018/NEWS01/111018030/SNOW-HILL-Testimony-underway-Skylor-Harmon-re-trial

Harmon Trial Continues.....

Written by:  Jennifer Shutt
SNOW HILL -- Jurors saw autopsy photos and passed among each other a clear plastic bag filled with bullet fragments during the first day of the murder trial of Skylor Dupree Harmon.

Harmon is charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Reginald Handy Jr. Harmon's uncle, Alexander Crippen, was originally charged in the May 2010 murder, but charges were dropped before Crippen's trial. Crippen was later convicted of attempting to kill a different man, based on testimony about his actions at the same scene where Handy died.

Harmon, of Pocomoke City, turned 19 this month; he was 17 when Handy was killed. Harmon is also charged with first- and second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment for alleged crimes against Torrance Davis. He has pleaded not guilty.

During the first day of testimony, police told jurors how they located a .223-caliber Bushmaster assault rifle prosecutors believe Harmon used to kill Handy.

"The day after (Handy) was struck, the Pocomoke City Police Department received an anonymous tip," said Deputy State's Attorney Paul Haskell during his opening statement. Police were directed to 500 Young St. where they found the gun, described as a "Ferrari of a weapon" -- not a cheap firearm.

Shell casings from a .45-caliber weapon and a .380-caliber weapon were also found near Handy's body.
"The actual bullet that murdered Mr. Handy was so damaged that no determination can be made" about which gun fired it, Harmon's defense lawyer, Sandra Fried, said during her opening statement.

Fried went on to say that because the bullet hit Handy's spine, then fractured into several pieces, ballistics experts cannot determine if it was fired from the weapon police found on Young Street. Fried also told jurors no DNA evidence or fingerprints linked Harmon to the assault rifle.

Several witnesses who had also testified during the Crippen trial told jurors what they saw and heard the night Handy was killed.

Testimony from Torrance Davis, Handy's cousin, came out of an agreement with the State's Attorney's Office. In exchange for testimony, the state agreed to dismiss a pending assault case against Davis in addition to getting rid of a bench warrant in a separate case.

During his testimony, jurors saw the all-black assault rifle, topped with a scope, that police say killed Handy. Davis testified he received the weapon about two weeks before Handy's death, in exchange for crack cocaine, but later gave the weapon to someone else. Davis was unable to testify how the weapon would have ended up in Harmon's hands, because of an objection sustained by the judge.

Davis said that during the time he had the gun, he was able to fire it and knew what it sounded like. He said he could tell the difference between its sound and other gunshots.

"That gun makes a unique noise," Davis said. "It's like a cannon."

Testimony from Deputy Dale Trotter of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation clarified for jurors how Harmon could have used the .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle to make a shot from about 65 yards away at 10 p.m.

"It was not an infrared scope but it was a hunting scope," Trotter said. "The ambient light from the street lighting would be enough that you could look through the scope and pick up your target."

Trotter testified that when police found the "military-grade weapon" it had a 10-round magazine. Eight bullets remained in the magazine, with one in the chamber. That indicated, Trotter said, one bullet had been fired from the weapon.

Assistant State Medical Examiner Russell Alexander testified that after the fatal bullet hit Handy's spine, a fragment continued through his body and hit his aorta, the largest artery in the body, causing massive bleeding.

"He died of a gunshot wound to the back," Alexander said.

Source: http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110630/NEWS01/106300385/Assault-rifle-shown-during-murder-trial?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|frontpage

Skylor Harmon Charged With First-Degree Murder

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. -- A day after authorities announced Skylor Dupree Harmon was being charged with the death of an Accomack County man in a shooting earlier this year, police apprehended their fugitive suspect at a Walmart store.

Police say Harmon, who is charged with the first-degree murder, was arrested without incident by a state police fugitive apprehension team and a special team of Worcester sheriff's deputies in Pocomoke City.

Harmon is being held without bond in connection with the death of Reginald Jerome Handy Jr.

Handy, 22, a resident of New Church, was slain Wednesday, May 26. He was the son of Reginald and Evangela Handy Sr. He was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Wardtown.

At a news conference last week, Deputy State's Attorney Michael Farlow as well as representatives from numerous police agencies announced they believed Harmon killed Handy in May.

A different man, Alexander Crippen, 36, was the first person charged with murder in Handy's death, but those murder charges were dropped before Crippen's trial; he was later convicted of attempting to kill a different man, based on testimony about what he did at the same scene where Handy died.

At the press conference, Farlow said the forensic evidence which exonerated Crippen of murder charges has been "very helpful in determining who the actual shooter was."

According to recently filed court documents, the night Handy was shot at 503 Laurel St., a witness says he saw the flash of a gun go off beside 500 Young St., which parallels Laurel in marking off the long sides of a narrow residential block. The witness, who is unidentified in court documents, also said immediately after the shooting, he saw Skylor Harmon near the flash.

Police later found a .223 Bushmaster assault rifle between 500 and 502 Young Street, which was later determined to be the weapon that shot and killed Handy, court records say.

Harmon is also being charged, in separate court cases, with resisting arrest, failure to obey law enforcement, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, disorderly conduct, making a false statement to a police officer, malicious destruction of property and obstructing and hindering.

www.easternshorenews.com

Suspect In Handy Murder Has Been Arrested

I have been out of town for the past few days on a family matter and am so glad to see that this possible murderer has been arrested! Hopefully the Handy family will be working towards some closure. Great job police department!

POCOMOKE CITY — A suspect in a Pocomoke murder case was arrested without trouble outside the Walmart store Friday night, police said. They arrested Skylor Dupree Harmon, 19, who days ago was charged with murdering Reginald Handy Jr., 22, in May.

A state police fugitive apprehension team, assisted by a special team of Worcester sheriff's deputies, caught Harmon Friday at about 6 p.m., police said, and he is being held without bond.

At a news conference last week, prosecutors and police said they believe Harmon killed Handy. A different man, Alexander Crippen, 36, was the first person charged with murder in Handy's death, but those murder charges were dropped before Crippen's trial; he was later convicted of attempting to kill a different man, based on testimony about what he did at the same scene where Handy died.

Harmon is currently the sole suspect in Handy's death, and police had said he was at large in southern Worcester or Somerset counties, and possibly armed and dangerous.

www.delmarvanow.com