A Charleston man allegedly conspired with his former partner to kill her husband, after the woman said she had suffered "a lengthy history of domestic violence," police said.
Joseph Lee Lawrence, 40, of the East End, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.
Lawrence was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly entered Roger and Brandy Skeens' home on Grapevine Road in Sissonville. Roger Skeens called 911 and said a man in a ski mask with a shotgun was in his home, according to Sgt. Brian Humphreys of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office. The two men fought, and Skeens was able to get the gun away from the man, who was in the driveway when he called 911.
Brandy Skeens told deputies that she and Lawrence had made plans over the past couple of weeks for Lawrence to kill her husband. She "advised there was a lengthy history of domestic violence involving her husband" against her, according to the complaint.
She said that she left Lawrence at the home while her husband was at work, and told Lawrence about the loaded shotgun in her son's bedroom, according to the complaint.
Skeens allegedly told police she spoke to her husband when he was on his way home from work, and tried unsuccessfully to text Lawrence to tell him Roger Skeens was returning home. She also said Lawrence was supposed to let her know whether "it" - the killing of her husband - was done, the complaint says.
Humphreys said Lawrence and Brandy Skeens wanted the scene to look like a burglary. Sheriff's deputies found drawers partially opened, medicine bottles placed on a bathroom sink and other items strewn on a bedroom floor. They did not see any signs of forced entry into the home, according to the complaint.
Brandy Skeens and Joseph Lawrence were in an "intimate relationship" prior to her marriage, according to the complaint. Police say they believe the two have a child together.
Lawrence told police he was at the home to protect Brandy Skeens, the complaint says.
Brandy Skeens has not been charged with anything, according to a magistrate court employee. Humphreys said deputies haven't ruled out charging her, or filing more charges against Lawrence, but they want to consult with prosecutors first.
Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Miller said he hadn't yet looked at the case, but that domestic violence wouldn't absolve someone of the crime of conspiracy to commit murder.
Miller did say they would consider mitigating factors. "We look at the facts of every case," he said.
Humphreys wouldn't go into detail about the domestic violence Brandy Skeens alleged against her husband. "There was enough to substantiate the claim she was a victim of domestic violence," he said.
Court officials found no domestic violence charges for Roger Skeens on record. They said Lawrence has no previous criminal history.
Lawrence was being held without bail at South Central Regional Jail on Wednesday.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.