January 1, Mother Gets Life Behind Bars After Shocking Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Father

Wyatt’s Take

• Alabama mother convicted of hiring hitman on social media to murder her child’s father over custody battle
• Victim killed days before scheduled court appearance — found shot multiple times in his home
• Five total defendants charged in the murder plot, with life sentence handed down without possibility of parole

An Alabama woman will spend the rest of her life behind bars after orchestrating a cold-blooded murder-for-hire plot to kill her child’s father rather than face him in court.

Jaclyn Skuce, 43, of Madison, was sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday after a jury convicted her of capital murder. The Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said she hired a killer to eliminate Anthony Larry Sheppard to prevent him from gaining custody or visitation rights with their child.

The Hartselle Police Department responded to Sheppard’s residence on July 24, 2020, after he failed to appear for a scheduled custody hearing. His attorney had requested a welfare check when Sheppard didn’t show up to court.

When officers arrived, they found the storm door shattered and the main door standing open. Inside, they discovered Sheppard’s body. He had been shot multiple times.

Investigators determined that Skuce turned to social media to find a hitman, eventually connecting with Logan Delp, who lived in Hartselle. According to prosecutors and local reports from the Hartselle Enquirer, she allegedly offered $30,000 for the murder.

Rather than work through the legal system like every other parent in America, Skuce chose violence to permanently erase the father of her child from the picture.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery spoke following the verdict.

“There are never any winners in a case like this. This jury was incredibly thorough and took their time to make sure they made the right decision, both for Mr. Sheppard and for the defendant.”

Vickery added more pointed commentary about the conviction.

“We are glad that they convicted her for the choice she made to take Mr. Sheppard away from his family.”

Skuce was found guilty on three separate counts of capital murder: murder for hire, murder of a witness, and murder committed by shooting into an occupied dwelling. The jury sent a clear message that this kind of premeditated evil won’t be tolerated.

Four other defendants have been charged with capital murder in connection with Sheppard’s death. Delp, the alleged triggerman, was convicted of capital murder in October 2025.

Another defendant has pleaded guilty, and two others are awaiting trial. The wheels of justice continue to turn for everyone involved in this heinous plot.

Skuce will serve her sentence in the Alabama Department of Corrections with no chance of ever walking free again.

Wyatt Matters

This case is a grim reminder that our family court system has real consequences, and some people will do anything to avoid accountability. A father who simply wanted to be part of his child’s life was gunned down in his own home because the mother couldn’t handle sharing custody. That child now grows up without either parent — one murdered, one locked away for life. The rule of law exists for a reason, and when people take justice into their own hands like this, entire families are destroyed. Our courts aren’t perfect, but they beat the alternative every single time.