Troy George Skinner appeared in Goochland County General District Court this morning. He has been charged by the FBI with several counts.
Troy George Skinner appeared in Goochland County General District Court this morning. He has been charged by the FBI with several counts.
The FBI has charged the New Zealander who was shot by the mother of a US teen as he tried to break into their home.
Troy George Skinner, 25, appeared in the Goochland District Court this week and has been charged "with several counts relating to his actions" in Virginia on June 22 when he broke into a home and was shot by the homeowner.
County sheriff James Agnew said the original state charge against Skinner was dropped but he was being charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A judge at Goochland General District Court has withdrawn a charge against Troy George Skinner of breaking and entering with a deadly weapon, with the intent to commit rape.
Richmond Times Dispatch reporter Mark Bowes said Skinner sat in the front row of the tiny rural court, in a jail uniform in handcuffs and leg shackles, and showed no emotion.
The previous charge was withdrawn because the FBI filed new charges last Thursday.
Skinner was charged with one count of production of child pornography, as well as one count of coercion or enticement of a minor.
Bowes said the dates of those offences were between January 8 and June 4, which pre-dated the shooting incident on June 22.
More charges are expected.
Skinner was on anti-psychotic medication for a major depressive order but had stopped taking the drug before he tried to break into a US home, his friends have said.
Police allege Skinner tried to break into the teen's home and was shot by the girl's mother.
Skinner had been communicating with her online and travelled across the world to see her, despite the teenager's efforts to end communication between the two.
He was initially charged with a single count of breaking and entering with the intent to rape, rob or murder with a deadly weapon. The maximum penalty for the charge is life in jail.
Skinner had been under 24/7 police watch at VCU Medical Center while receiving medical treatment.
Deputies later transported Skinner to the medical unit at Henrico Jail East in New Kent County, WRIC reported.
Troy Skinner was shot by the mother of a 14-year-old girl he'd been talking to online in June, when he turned up to their Virginia home uninvited with duct tape, pepper spray and a knife.
Friends of Skinner had old the Herald that Skinner had been taking Quetapel, an anti-psychotic used to treat schizophrenia, bi-polar, major depressive disorder or as a sleeping aid.
Friends say Skinner had stopped taking the drug because it had made him feel like the "walking dead".
A friend is said to have found a pill on a table in Skinner's room recently and identified it as Quetapel.
Skinner had applied for a bridging course at the University of Auckland and wanted to study law.
James Stirling told the Herald Skinner's attempted home invasion was "such a bizarre thing to have happened".
He said he knew about Skinner's US trip but not about the girl.
"It was slightly short notice but not too out of the ordinary. He talked about spending some time with friends in Portland, Oregon and yeah just hiking, that kind of thing," he said.
"If he had mentioned it to anyone we would've told him how absurd it was and it would've ended there."
Stirling said he'd known Skinner since he was 12.
"He's never come off as creepy or anything like that."
He said Skinner, an avid video gamer, had until now led a pretty normal life.
