Kent man charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Craigslist case

King County prosecutors today charged a Kent man with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, alleging he advertised on the online Craigslist personals that he wanted to have sex with someone before killing them.

Shawn Tyler Skelton, 24, is being held in the King County Jail with bail set at $1 million. Arraignment was set for May 13. If convicted he could face more than 13 years in prison, prosecutors said.

The ad that led to Skelton's arrest still appeared in the "casual encounters" section of the Craigslist personals Tuesday afternoon under the heading, "A strange desire ... "

"I have a very strange thing that I want to do," the post read. It concluded with, "Serious iquiries [sic] only please."

In between was a request for a woman willing to have sex with — and then be killed by — the man who police said wrote the ad.

Skelton was arrested Monday when he showed up at a Seattle motel room with a length of chain and a knife after agreeing in a series of e-mails to have sex with and kill a woman in exchange for $2,000, according to police and court documents.

King County Superior Court documents say a Craigslist employee e-mailed the Seattle Police Department on April 22 about the online ad. An undercover detective responded to the ad and corresponded with Skelton numerous times over the next several days, according to charging papers.

Skelton had been looking for a consensual arrangement, but the detective proposed something different, asking if he would be willing to discuss murdering someone, the documents say. Skelton agreed and negotiated a $2,000 fee, at the same time alluding to what he wanted to do to the nonexistent victim, charging papers said.

About 7:30 a.m. Monday, the suspect and the detective exchanged information by e-mail about the time and place of the proposed murder and the payment. Detectives were waiting at the Aero Motel at 7240 E. Marginal Way S. when Skelton arrived at 9:50 a.m., and they arrested him when he knocked on the door of what was to be the murder room, court papers say. He had a knife, a length of chain and two long shoe laces, which police say fit with his written plan.

Listed in court papers as a laborer, Skelton has been convicted once for indecent exposure. In November, he again was arrested for indecent exposure, at Auburn's Green River Community College. He has a hearing in that case scheduled for Thursday.

A woman who answered the phone at Skelton's home Tuesday and identified herself as the man's girlfriend and the mother of his child said he is innocent.

"He didn't do anything," the woman said. "If he was doing anything, he was trying to figure out a way to get money. He had no intent to go through with it."

She said she read some of the e-mails between police and her boyfriend and she said the police "definitely entrapped him." She said the issue of payment was brought up by officers, not by her boyfriend.

"They offered him money and we're broke, living at our grandmother's house," she said.

"He actually has a lot, lot, lot of mental issues that need to be dealt with ... But he's not really the person they're making him out to be," she said. "He's a good person, an amazing father, and I love him and support him."

King County prosecutor spokesman Dan Donohoe, asked whether he was concerned about possible entrapment issues arising from the detective proposing the murder while Skelton had initially sought a willing participant, said simply, "No."

Seattle Times staff reporter Christine Clarridge contributed to this report.

Mark Rahner: 206-464-8259 or mrahner@seattletimes.com