Sheriff: 24-year-old shot, killed mother's boyfriend during argument

Skyler Cole Johnson faces second-degree murder charge

HILLIARD, Fla. – A 24-year-old Hilliard man has been charged with shooting and killing his mother's boyfriend after the couple got into an argument Monday, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said.

Skyler Cole Johnson was booked into the Nassau County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder.

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Leeper said the fight Monday afternoon between Johnson's mother and her boyfriend, Richard Crews, 38, was sparked by a dispute over household finances. Deputies said Crews and Johnson's mother are not married but have two children in common.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Crews started to leave the home on Rooster Lane in Hilliard and the argument reignited next to a red pickup truck.

Leeper said Johnson heard the arguing from inside his home and went outside, where he saw his mother underneath the truck.

Leeper said that's when Johnson shot Crews several times with a 9 mm handgun. Johnson then unloaded the weapon (pictured below), placed it on the trunk of a white vehicle that Crews had been trying to leave in and called 911 to report the shooting.

First responders took Crews to UF Health in Jacksonville, where he died at 1:20 p.m.

After interviewing several witnesses, deputies charged Johnson with second-degree murder.


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.