New charges against grandmother accused in killing

VIRGINIA -- A Cass County grandmother charged in the shooting death of her granddaughter's estranged husband is now accused of earlier trying to hire two men to kill him.

A grand jury returned two indictments Wednesday against Shirley Skinner of Ashland, who was already in court to ask for a reduction in her $5 million bond on first-degree murder charges.

A judge denied the request.

The new indictments accuse the 74-year-old Skinner of trying to hire two employees of a company her family owns to kill Steven Watkins, offering them $10,000 apiece between Aug. 1 and Nov. 25, 2008.

Watkins was shot to death Nov. 25, 2008, inside Skinner's home, allegedly by Skinner.

Defense attorney Dan Fultz said the new charges came as a complete surprise and struck him as highly unusual.