Jury delivers verdict in murder trial of suspect in Columbus woman’s kidnapping and death

A Russell County jury delivered a verdict Friday in the trial of a suspect charged with capital murder in the 2020 death of a Columbus woman.

The jury found Jayvonn Phillips guilty of capital murder in the death of 39-year-old Tameka Skinner. Phillips is one of four suspects arrested in connection with Skinner’s July 2020 death.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 17 at 9:30 a.m.

Russell County District Attorney Rick Chancey confirmed that Shaun Johnson previously had plead guilty to capital murder in Skinner’s death and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Closing arguments began with retired Russell County District Attorney Kenneth Davis, an unpaid volunteer prosecuting murder cases that happened during his tenure as DA.

Davis recounted previous testimony and gave the jury a timeline of events from the night Skinner was kidnapped and killed. Davis told the jury Phillips would admit to investigators that Johnson told him they were going to kidnap a girl and rough her up.

Davis said Phillips whispered to an investigator and asked him for a pad and wrote “Bush Road,” where Skinner’s body would be found.

Davis told the jury, “Tameka Skinner was never going home.”

Johnson testified that Skinner was begging after he shot her, according to Davis’ closing statements. Davis said Johnson told Phillips that he (Johnson) “popped” her (Skinner) twice in the head.

Davis told the jury the DA’s office isn’t seeking the death penalty in this case, but he still asked them to convict Phillips on the charge of capital murder.

Phillips’ defense attorney, Jeremy Armstrong, reminded the jury, “What the attorneys say isn’t evidence.”

Armstrong told the jury the state has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt Phillips was an accessory to the kidnapping and the capital murder.

Armstrong told jurors his client wasn’t there when Skinner was killed. Armstrong also contended Phillips didn’t give the gun to Johnson butJohnson took it from Phillips. Johnson testified he took the gun from Phillips’ lap when Phillips was in Skinner’s car on Porter Road, according to Armstrong’s closing statements.

Armstrong said the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the charge of murder his client faced. Armstrong asked the jury not to convict Phillips of capital murder or felony murder.

Chancey was the last to deliver final statements. Chancey reiterated three words again and again: “She’s gotta go.” Phillips said those three words in an interview with an investigator.

Chancey played for the jury video of interviews Phillips had with investigators . In one video, Phillips says, “They didn’t say anything about killing nobody.”

Phillips also says in one video of an interview, “I need to be going. That makes me an accessory,” about his thoughts after hearing from Johnson that Skinner had been killed.

Chancey showed a photo to the jury of a bullet wound to the side of Skinner’s head. Another photo he showed depicted Skinner’s face with a bullet wound to her forehead.

Chancey said, “This is a deal with the Devil to get rid of Tameka Skinner,” describing how Phillips took part in the plan for the offer of $150.

“Feels great to get the guilty verdict for this family,” Chancey said in an interview with the Ledger-Enquirer. “I’m sorry they’re having to wait nearly five years to get to this.”

Chancey said the nuances of the law in Alabama was the hardest part of this case.

“It’s a confusing law, I think, that we have in Alabama, that says you can be found guilty of a capital offense, even if you did not pull the trigger,” he said. “In this case Mr. Jayvonn Phillips is not the trigger man, so to speak. He is an accessory.”

Chancey added, “Under Alabama law, to be found guilty of capital murder during a kidnapping, we had to prove that he acted as an accessory not only to the kidnapping but also the shooting.”

Chancey said he will remember part of Johnson’s testimony from this case.

“According to Shaun Johnson, Tameka Skinner was still alive and begging for help when one of them pointed a gun directly between her eyes and pulled the trigger, and she saw it coming while begging for help,” Chancey said.

“It’s cold blooded,” Chancey said. “Just to feel the pain that young lady was going through that night for three or four hours, and for it to end by herself, that is, nobody around that she knew on a dirt road in our county and had to look her killer right in the face while he shot her. That one’s tough,” Chancey said.

This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 4:11 PM.