Ingraham charged with first-degree murder

The 20-year-old nephew of a Post Falls man found dead in Boundary County in September has been charged with first-degree murder of his uncle.

Skyler Abbott Ingraham, Post Falls, was arrested in October for failure to report the death of his uncle, Brent Barron, 53, to proper authorities. Ingraham has been held in jail ever since. The murder charge was filed on Tuesday. Ingraham is being held in Boundary County jail on $100,000 bond.

According to police reports, Ingraham admitted to shooting Barron twice with a rifle while the two were camping with two male juveniles in the Middle Roman Nose Lake area in Boundary County in August 2014.

Ingraham repeatedly told police he shot his uncle because he feared for his life and was "terrified" based on threats Barron allegedly made. He said Barron, who spent 31 of the 53 years of his life in Idaho prison, was also mean to him and other family members, especially after he'd been drinking.

"I think he was going to hurt us … or at night when we were sleeping," Ingraham told police, referring to the camping outing. "I did not feel safe."

Ingraham told police Barron became agitated with him when he didn't have enough money to buy Barron the liquor he wanted when the two left camp and went to the liquor store. He said Barron had a knife on him and had made comments that he would harm Ingraham.

Ingraham told the police the four smoked marijuana and that he later grabbed the rifle because he "knew" Barron was going to attack him and possibly the other two.

"Skyler felt he needed to kill Brent first before Brent had a chance to kill him," a police report states.

Ingraham told investigators varying accounts of the moments that led up to the shooting, but admitted multiple times that he was the one who pulled the trigger. 

He also admitted multiple times that he made up his mind earlier during the camping trip that he was going to shoot Barron because he felt threatened and was fearful.

Ingraham originally told police Barron had a knife in his hand when he shot his uncle, but he later said Barron did not and that it was in the sheath.

The case came to light about a year after the alleged murder on Sept. 16, 2015, when one of the teens who was on the camping trip approached a school counselor because he was "really messed up" with it being the one-year anniversary of the alleged incident. He told the counselor Barron had been mean to family members and was "crazy."

The student admitted to helping Ingraham hide Barron's body, according to the police report. Ingraham told police that he and others later returned to the camp site to bury the body. He also said others assisted him in burning the items Barron had on the camping trip.

With the assistance of a cadaver dog team, Barron's body was found on Sept. 19, 2015.

Barron served three separate prison sentences spanning 31 years from 1980 to 2012. 

Family members told police he struggled to get on his feet after his latest release, adding he had alcohol and anger issues.

Barron's charges during the timespan he was in prison included four counts of burglary, two counts of grand larceny, aggravated battery, aggravated assault and robbery. The crimes occurred in Fremont, Ada and Canyon counties in southern Idaho.

Barron escaped from the Juab County Jail in Utah through the jail's pipe chase system in November 1992, according to news reports. Barron, who was living in Hayden at that time, was then arrested in Caldwell a month later.

The murder case was investigated by the Boundary County Sheriff's Office, Post Falls Police and Idaho State Police.

Boundary County Deputy Prosecutor Tevis Hull said he expects charges against other people will be filed in the case.

Hull and Post Falls Police Capt. Greg McLean declined to comment on the case.

Ingraham's preliminary hearing is slated for Friday in front of Judge Justin Julian.