PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFLA) — Police documents revealed new details about a double murder investigation in Pinellas Park.
Austin Skonecki, 30, was accused of shooting two men – John Luke, Jr. and Brian Mikell – on Feb. 10. A search warrant executed on Feb. 14 gives insight to the Pinellas Park Police Department’s (PPPD) investigation.
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Detectives interviewed Mikell’s teenage daughter, who said she was in the garage with Skonecki and Luke as they argued with each other. According to the criminal complaint, Luke walked out of the garage and Skonecki followed, drawing a handgun before stepping outside.
Mikell’s daughter reported hearing a series of gunshots and hid her face in terror, PPPD said. She heard someone return to the garage and pace around before exiting, according to the report, after which she heard four or five more shots.
Security cameras from a nearby home partially captured the shooting. According to PPPD, a man is heard yelling, “Johnny, let’s go,” about a minute before a single shot rings out.
When reviewing the footage, detectives reported seeing a man enter the backyard, where the side entrance to the garage is located. The security cameras captured audio of the gate opening followed by eight shots, the arrest report stated. The man, who investigators did not identify, ran to a sedan parked outside and sped off.
Mikell suffered several gunshot wounds and died at the hospital. Luke was killed by a single shot to the head.
Skonecki’s brother told investigators Skonecki showed up at his home at around midnight and admitted to killing the men, PPPD said. Skonecki told him he had “blown” Luke’s head off and that “he deserves it,” according to the complaint. Skonecki’s step-mother also told police that he claimed to have shot Luke.
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Skonecki turned himself in to the Pinellas Park Police Department later that day, accompanied by family members. His car was seized by police as evidence after a handgun was spotted inside, according to PPPD.
On Feb. 14, police searched Skonecki’s home and seized his cellphone, three guns, two magazines, a holster and two “projectiles.” He was held without bond Tuesday at the Pinellas County Jail.
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