John Skelton Arraigned on Open-Murder Charges as Judge Sets $60 Million Bond

Prosecutors move forward on open-murder plus evidence-tampering counts filed days before his scheduled prison release.

Overview

Skelton, 53, appeared in Lenawee County 2A District Court on three open-murder counts and three evidence-tampering counts.
He is being held at the Lenawee County Jail on a $60 million bond; a probable cause hearing is set for Nov. 24 and a preliminary exam for Dec. 1.
The brothers—Andrew, 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner, 5—disappeared over Thanksgiving 2010 in Morenci, and extensive searches in Michigan and Ohio have not found them.
A judge declared the boys legally dead in March, noting at that time the evidence did not establish homicide.
Skelton was nearing release after a 10–15 year unlawful-imprisonment sentence, as investigators cite shifting accounts and phone records placing him briefly in Ohio the day after the boys were last seen.