Human Wreckage True Crime
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Human Wreckage True Crime
A Life Stolen: Tegan Skiba's Story
How could a vibrant four-year-old end up in such deplorable conditions, subjected to unimaginable abuse and ultimately a senseless death? On this episode of Human Wreckage True Crime Podcast, we unravel the harrowing story of Tegan Skiba, a young girl from Smithfield, North Carolina, whose life was tragically cut short. Join us as Thomas recounts the grim details of Tegan's living situation with her mother, Helen Reyes, and Helen's boyfriend, Jonathan Richardson. Learn about Richardson's violent past and the horrific injuries Tegan suffered, painting a portrait of unspeakable cruelty.
We also question the systemic failures that allowed this tragedy to happen. How did military policies on family care fall short, leaving Tegan in such dangerous hands while her mother was away for Army Reserves training? We dive into the investigation that ensued, including Richardson's shocking confessions and the unsettling items found at their home. Through this agonizing narrative, we aim to spotlight the importance of vigilance and accountability in preventing child abuse. This episode is a sobering reminder of the dire consequences when society fails its most vulnerable members.
Tegan Skiba was a four-year-old girl living in Smithfield, north Carolina, with her mother, helen Reyes, and Helen's boyfriend, jonathan Richardson. They lived in a barn on Richardson's grandparents' property which lacked basic amenities such as running water and a bathroom. The only bedding available was a solitary air mattress on the floor. Welcome to this episode of Human Wreckage True Crime Podcast. My name is Thomas. Today, we will be talking about the horrible case of Tegan Skiba Her short, horrific life. Let's get into it. Despite the grim living conditions, tegan was described as a very energetic, vivacious and lovable child. She loved the color purple, butterflies and catching ladybugs in her grandmother's garden. She was born to Helen and Jerry Skiba, but due to the fact Jerry was serving time at Craving Correctional Institute in New Bern after a felony drug trafficking conviction, he was not involved in his daughter's upbringing. Much like Jerry, richardson also had a criminal record. He had a conviction for simple assault and injury to personal property. This case related to an incident in 27 when he broke the windshield of his then-girlfriend's car during an argument. He was given six months probation and ordered to pay restitution. He was also convicted in Wayne County in 2008 of driving while impaired.
Speaker 1:On the 6th of July 2010, tegan was left in the care of Richardson while her mother, rays, went to New Mexico for Army Reserves training. Just 10 days later, richardson brought Tegan to Unk Hospitals at Chapel Hill, where it was discovered she was suffering from severe bodily injuries. Richardson had told medical personnel in the emergency room that Tegan had fallen out of bed. Upon closer inspection, however, tegan was found to be covered in bite marks, cuts, and had suffered severe head trauma. There was also evidence that Tegan had been tortured and sexually assaulted. Police were immediately called to the hospital. One of them commented you think about how bad you think it is, and it's that times ten. There's no excuse for it. It was really just a disgrace to the sanctity of human life for a human body to be tortured like this. It was just a senseless act of violence. That night Richardson was arrested on a felony child abuse charge and over the weekend medics worked tirelessly to try and save Tegan. On Monday morning, however, she tragically succumbed to her injuries. In announcing the sad development, johnson County Sheriff Steve Bizzle said Over this past weekend a community law enforcement officers, doctors, nurses and medical staff came to love a little four-year-old girl, tegan Skiba, who was a victim of child abuse.
Speaker 1:The child abuse investigation swiftly transformed into a murder investigation and detectives embarked on the family's home, where they searched the barn and also a room inside Richardson's grandparents' home where he sometimes stayed. They seized a handful of ominous items, including guns, knives, duct tape and drug paraphernalia. In the wake of Richardson's arrest, he told investigators that he had become angry when Tegan wet the bed that they were sharing. He said that he lost it and whipped her with a drop cord. He further said that he suffered from bipolar and that little things set him off. He was subsequently charged with felony first degree murder and was ordered to be held without bond. Rays was also interviewed in the aftermath of her daughter's death and she claimed to investigators that she was afraid of Richardson. The sheriff commented you would think if she was afraid of him and if she knew the conditions that she had resided in with him, that she would have used some common sense before leaving that child with him in those conditions.
Speaker 1:As details of Tegan's murder were made public, the army publicly commented that if Reyes needed help with child care during her training, she could have asked them. As a single mother, she should have been required to come up with a family care plan that outlined how her daughter would have been cared for. According to a spokesman for her reserve unit, the 535th Military Police Battalion, reyes did not provide a plan. Over the past decade, the Army had launched and strengthened a range of programs to help ease the burden of training and deployment. This included family care plans, which applied to soldiers who were single parents, single pregnant women, dual military couples and soldiers caring for an elderly family member. It is the soldier's responsibility to file the plan, and it's kept in their personal folder. After searching, the Army discovered that Reyes had actually come up with a family care plan, but in the plan she listed her mother, maria Reyes, as the sole caretaker for Tegan while she was away.
Speaker 1:Wake County child welfare officials determined that Reyes had failed to protect her daughter and entrust her to an appropriate caretaker before she left for training. Rays was subsequently charged with negligent child abuse, causing serious bodily injury. According to investigators, rays had first-hand knowledge that this type of abuse had occurred prior to July 5th by Jonathan Richardson. An investigation into Ray's involvement in her daughter's abuse uncovered that she had known about the abuse that was being inflicted. On one occasion she had watched as Richardson forced Tegan to chug a Corona and two natural light beers. Moreover, she knew that Richardson had beaten Tegan while she made a trip to a convenience store. Detectives also learned that Reyes watched Richardson whip Tegan, yet she did nothing to help her daughter or protect her. Sheriff Bizzle said the child had been disciplined in a manner that was not appropriate in the presence of the mother.
Speaker 1:Helen Reyes, in my opinion, neglected her duties as a mother. This so-called mother failed to provide the care that children need, desire and deserve. The investigation into her involvement only continued and detectives learned that Reyes didn't just know her daughter was being abused. She had an active role in the abuse. She had subjected Tegan to verbal threats and intimidation and she had forced her to consume alcohol and had even subjected her to physical beatings and had bitten her. According to investigators, the sexual abuse happened after Rays had left for training.
Speaker 1:Despite having an active role in Tegan's abuse, rays was subsequently released after posting a $50,000 bond. The Johnston County District Attorney's Office had requested that the bond be increased to $250,000. They argued that Rays was a flight risk because she was in the Army Reserves and had family out of state. The judge, however, denied the increase. In August, a grand jury indicted Richardson on first-degree murder and first-degree rape. They found that he had used his hands and electrical cords as deadly weapons, inflicting serious personal injury on Tegan and terrorizing her. Sheriff Bizzle also announced that there was nothing to indicate that Richardson's grandparents had no knowledge of the abuse going on in the barn on their property, he stated. District Attorney Susan Doyle announced that if Richardson were convicted of Tegan's murder, she would be seeking the death penalty.
Speaker 1:The murder trial began in February of 2014, and during opening statements, richardson's defense attorney, jonathan Brown, made the shocking admission that Richardson had killed Tegan. He said that his client had struck Tegan's head against the wall, which ultimately killed her. He argued that Richard had not intended on killing Tegan and that he should not be convicted of first-degree murder. According to defense attorney Brown, richardson's actions were the result of mental illness, his inexperience of taking care of a child and his uncontrolled anger, which he said had built up from years of abuse and neglect by his parents. He stated Jonathan never intended to kill Tegan, but out of anger he caused the injury that killed her.
Speaker 1:According to prosecutor Paul Jackson, over the course of ten days, tegin had been subjected to a horrific assault she was sexually assaulted, bitten more than 63 times and flayed with a split extension cord that had left bits of copper embedded in her body. He said that Richardson's trial is about the ten days that he inflicted grievous pain and suffering on this four-year-old child through deliberate, repeated acts of sadistic abuse. This was countered by defense attorney Brown, who claimed that, despite the evidence, richardson had not sexually abused Tegan. He also maintained that he didn't derive any sadistic pleasure from the abuse he inflicted. He claimed that Richardson loved Reyes and Tegan and wanted the three of them to be a family. He stated Jonathan loved Tegan but he was unequipped to take care of a four-year-old as a 21-year-old man can be.
Speaker 1:The prosecutors called on various witnesses who testified about Tegan's condition in the hospital. Nurse Mary Allison Butler revealed that when she saw the injuries inflicted on Tegan she was so overcome with emotion that she confronted Richardson in the emergency room. She said she jumped on top of him, grabbed him and tried to rip out his throat Through tears. She said it was horrible. We see a lot of stuff. At that point I couldn't take any more. Dr Keith Kossis told the jury that he had never seen injuries like those he saw on Tegan on any child in his 25 years as a doctor. He stated these scars, these whip marks, these injuries to her skin that were all over her body I mean there was essentially no part of her body that was spared. He testified that Tegan could have been violently shaken because she had brain injuries that were similar to other cases.
Speaker 1:The jury next heard from a crime scene investigator who testified about the state of the barn where the family were living. She said that it was littered with trash and feces and smelled of urine. The prosecution then presented a short video that was found on Richardson's phone. It showed him yelling at Tegan to repeat certain phrases. She was standing with her back to the camera and was holding up her arms, despite the fact they were clearly fractured In the video. Tegan begged Richardson not to hurt her. In a photograph that was presented to the jury, tegan could be seen with a black eye. In another photograph she was holding a beer and cigarette in her hands. Reyes testified about the photograph and said that it had been sent to her by Richardson. She said she didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but admitted she knew that Tegin was being abused. She stated he told me that he had whipped her for throwing up on a chair.
Speaker 1:During the trial, the defense team argued that Richardson's upbringing taught him that physical abuse was what a parent did. His mother had hired a hitman to kill his father, who survived after being shot in the head. According to the defense, richardson's father neglected him and physically abused him. The defense had hoped that testimony regarding Richardson's upbringing would sway the jury in his favor and result in a lesser conviction. However, their attempt was unfruitful and the jury ultimately found Jonathan Richardson guilty of first-degree murder, felony child abuse, kidnapping and first-degree rape.
Speaker 1:The trial then entered the sentencing phase. Life in prison without parole is a slap on the wrist in this case. Justice demands that he receive no better fate than he gave Tegan. Justice demands that he receive no better than he gave Tegan, said Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Greg Butler. Once more, richardson's defense team painted a picture of him as a man who was abused as a child and who had an undiagnosed mental disorder. Defense Attorney Brown said Today we are not asking for forgiveness or leniency of Jonathan. Forgiveness would mean no punishment and that's already been guaranteed that Jonathan is going to be punished. Leniency would mean punishment that is not harsh and severe and no matter what you decide today, jonathan is going to be punished harshly and severely. Instead, defense attorney Brown asked for mercy. He maintained that Richardson did not intend to kill Tegan and that the accidental nature of her death was a mitigating factor. The jury deliberated for only a few hours before sentencing Jonathan Richardson to death.
Speaker 1:Outside of court, tegan's maternal grandparents, gerald and Sarah Skiba, said they were satisfied with the jury's decision. They were both wearing purple, tegan's favorite color, and said that hearing gruesome details of Tegan's murder in court were difficult. Gerald said she just wanted people to love her and she just showed her love so freely. And then somebody like that just comes in and just tortures her, you know, hurts her and that's I don't know. It's hard to put into words. In 2019, helen Reyes pleaded guilty to child abuse, admitting she showed reckless disregard for the welfare of the child, resulting in serious bodily injury. She was sentenced to 18 to 31 months in prison. Thanks for joining me. What a heartbreaking case. If you like what we do, please like and subscribe. Till next time. Take care of yourselves.