Skyler Allen
Two men charged in a triple murder in Lookout Valley have had their case reset by Judge Barry Steelman for Aug. 26.
The defendants, Skyler Allen, 23, and Derek Morse, 20, have been charged in relation to the triple slaying of John Lang, Caleb Boozer and Jon Morris. A third defendant, Jacob Allison, was 15 at the time of the crime on April 9, 2014, but his case has been transferred from juvenile court to adult court.
A fourth victim, Matthew Callan, Jr. is a minor and survived the attack with multiple gunshot wounds. He was able to testify at a preliminary hearing.
He said that after he was shot by the other victims’ RV on Kelly’s Ferry Road, he stumbled down a nearby embankment and witnessed the other murders. He said one of the men placed his gun to the forehead of one victim as he begged for his life before being shot.
After the suspects escaped, Mr. Callan fled home.
Prior to setting the co-defendants’ trial date, Judge Steelman also kicked one of their mothers, Kimberly Sims, out of the courtroom, banning her from the day’s proceedings for misconduct.
While waiting for her son’s case on the docket, Ms. Sims approached the bailiff for information before getting into a slight verbal altercation with the official. She then exited the courtroom.
The bailiff notified Judge Steelman of the issue and a court officer was asked to bring her back into the room to be dealt with. The bailiff said the officer had to lay hands on Ms. Sims to make her return to the room.
When brought before the judge, Ms. Sims repeatedly interrupted him as he spoke about her misconduct and he threatened to hold her in jail for 10 days for contempt of court.
The bailiff said that Ms. Sims has been problematic during her son’s court appearances before, reportedly telling an official to “Shut up.”
Derek Morse