A court hearing for two men charged in the April 2014 Lookout Valley triple slaying ended with one defendant’s mother being banned from the courtroom by Criminal Court Judge Barry Steelman.
Skylar Allen, 23, and Derek Morse, 20, were in court for a settlement hearing, court records show. Both men were present, wearing red jail jumpsuits and shackles, for an appearance lasting less than five minutes. Steelman reset the hearing for Aug. 26.
While court was in session, however, Kimberly Sims, who identified herself to Steelman as Allen’s mother, spent about as much time in front of Steelman as her son did.
Sims apparently had been sitting in the gallery since court began at 9 a.m., growing more and more impatient. After Sims angrily confronted a court bailiff, Steelman called Sims to the bench at 11:10 a.m. and banned her from the courtroom for the day.
The scene of a triple slaying near the 300 block of Kellys Ferry Place in Lookout Valley.Her son and Morse entered the courtroom about 20 minutes later. Both are charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Jacob Allison, 16, has been charged as an adult with murder in the case. Police said he drove the two older men to the mobile home park where the shooting occurred and knew they were carrying guns at the time.
Prosecutors say the men shot and killed Caleb Boozer, Jon Morris and John Lang near Kellys Ferry Road on April 9, 2014.
At a preliminary hearing in May 2014, survivor Matthew Callan Jr. described the attack.
Callan said the gunmen shot Lang before he could rise from his chair; shot Boozer first in the chest and then in the forehead, and dragged Morris from beneath an RV and shot him repeatedly.
Prosecutors said Callen, then 16, was shot five times but “played dead” and survived the ordeal.
The killings were possibly over a $20 debt, according to prosecutors.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@times freepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.