Man held on $2 million bail in death of Key Peninsula woman

A Pierce County judge on Tuesday ordered a man arrested in the stabbing death of a Key Peninsula woman held in jail until Thursday while prosecutors decide which charges to file against him.

Duwayne Skillman, 32, was arrested Monday in the death of 69-year-old Lynn Cooper, who was found dead in her home July 6.

Skillman made his first appearance in Superior Court on Tuesday.

Deputy prosecutor Stephen Penner asked Judge Thomas Larkin to order Skillman held without charges until Thursday.

Penner said outside court that he needs more time to review arrest reports and to study a statement Skillman gave detectives before deciding on charges to file.

“At this point, the investigation is still ongoing,” Penner told reporters. “We have sufficient facts to believe that there’s probable cause that he committed a homicide.”

The deputy prosecutor declined to elaborate.

Larkin ordered Skillman jailed in lieu of $2 million and scheduled an arraignment for Thursday. State law allows someone to be held for 72 hours without being charged.

Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said Monday that investigators think Cooper surprised Skillman while he was burgling her home and that he then stabbed her to death.

Cooper’s stolen Ford Explorer, later found by law enforcement, yielded clues that led investigators to Skillman, Troyer said.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Man held on $2 million bail in death of Key Peninsula woman."