Donald Ray Skinner, Allene Hawkins: Investigation Discovery’s ‘I’d Kill For You’ Profiles Georgia Killer Cop
Donald Ray Skinner was an innocent truck driver who was gunned down by his wife’s lover nine years ago. The story of Donald Ray Skinner, Charles Smith, and the woman he loved, Allene Hawkins Skinner, is the subject of Investigation Discovery’s crime show I’d Kill For You. The episode, “Truth or Death,” will feature reenactments of the crime and commentary from experts and people who had extensive knowledge of the case.
The Ambush
I’d Kill For You will go back in time to that terrible day in 2007, when 49-year-old Donald Ray Skinner, a hardworking truck driver, was ambushed just after pulling into the parking lot of Forest Park Trucking Company. According to court records, he had just returned from shipping fish to New Orleans, when someone stepped out in front of him a shot him dead. An autopsy report would later find that the victim died from multiple gunshot wounds to the body. A look at the crime scene made it clear that robbery was likely not a motive for the killing, since many valuable items were still found at the scene, according to News Day.
Skinner’s family could not believe that Donald Skinner was dead. Always known as a family man, no one could speculate on why someone would do that to him. But, as they thought harder, the Skinner family wanted to make sure that police knew about his wife Allene Hawkins—a woman who had many lovers on the side while she was still married to Donald.
The lead gave detectives a starting point, and as they dug deeper, they found out that Allene Hawkins’ lover was a police officer named Charles Alan Smith. The 49-year-old policeman eventually confessed to pulling out a gun that day and shooting Donald Skinner. Even more interesting was the reason why. According to law enforcement detectives, Charles Smith said that he did it because Allene Hawkins, also known as Allene Skinner, wanted him to do it.
Prosecutors in the case believed that Charles Smith was so in love with Allene that he was willing to do anything to make her happy. They also wanted to cash in on that life insurance policy that was worth almost $100,000. Both Charles Alan Smith and Allene Skinner were arrested and charged with Donald Skinner’s death. At trial, Charles didn’t want to testify against Allene because he still loved her. The Skinner family had some scathing words for the man that killed their loved one in cold blood. Smith accepted a life sentence for his part in the crime.
But, the Skinners wanted Allene to pay with her life. However, not only did she not get the death penalty, she was acquitted in 2008.
Observers believe Allene allowed her former lover to take the fall all by himself. They say Charles Alan Smith, who had already shown signs of instability, was head over heels for Allene. His love for her could only be compared to that of a teen who had fallen in love for the first time. He hadn’t had much success in his life before becoming a cop, according to court records, which suggests that he jumped from one low paying job to another — most often due to inappropriate behavior. As for his previous relationships, he hadn’t had much success with those, either, but he was hopeful that he could make a life with Allene.
On Donald Ray Skinner’s FindAGrave page, a family member left the following message.
“Dear Bubba, How are things in heaven? I guess you probably knew before we did that we are getting our first african american president, coming january 20,2009.the stock market is crashing almost everyday.Weird things are going on.]I guess you also know that the VooDoo Queen was found not guilty on all charges with your murder. We just could not believe it. But we are going to try to get a new trial when the white DA gets into office.”
“Basically it boiled down to the ADA not doing his job and screwing up. But the “Queen” had written another bad check on the fourth of January 07 and they had a warrant out for her arrest plus she was in violation of her probation. So she will be spending the next 3 1/2 years in a state prison. We are hoping that someone takes her out while she is in there. Mama has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her.”
To follow the police investigation leading up to the murder of Donald Ray Skinner, watch an all-new I’d Kill For You Tonight on ID at 10/9 p.m. central. In a previous episode of I’d Kill For You, Rebecca Braswell was profiled.
[Image via Twitter]
