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Murder of Ryan Skipper

SOLVED2007Wahneta, Florida2 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Ryan Keith Skipper (April 28, 1981 – March 14, 2007) was a 25-year-old man from Polk County, Florida. On the night of March 14, 2007, after having dinner with a friend near Winter Haven, Skipper left home in his car with two men, Joseph Bearden and William David Brown Jr., who returned without him a short time later.

Skipper was beaten and stabbed to death, and his body was found on March 15, 2007, along a roadside in Wahneta, outside Winter Haven. His car was later found abandoned, with both men's fingerprints inside. Authorities characterized the killing as a hate crime; Brown later claimed he had killed Skipper in retaliation for unwanted sexual advances.

Bearden and Brown, aged 20 and 21 at the time, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and robbery. In February 2009, Bearden was convicted of second-degree murder and related counts and sentenced to life; on appeal, the Florida Supreme Court granted him a new trial in 2015, and in October 2016 he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years. He was released on parole in March 2024 but was re-arrested later that year after failing to report to supervisors. In November 2009, Brown was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, and tampering with evidence, and in December 2009 he was sentenced to life without parole.

Gay rights groups drew parallels between Skipper's killing and the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, and criticized an early account — based solely on statements from Bearden and Brown — that had suggested Skipper was involved in solicitation, drug use, and fraud before his death. Sheriff's officials later acknowledged that account originated only from the suspects' own statements.

Key facts

Victims
Ryan Keith Skipper
Date
2007
Location
Wahneta, Florida
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1981-04-28

    Ryan Keith Skipper is born.

  2. 2007-03-14

    Skipper has dinner with friend Karl von Hahmann in Winter Haven, Florida; they part around 10:30 p.m. Around midnight, Skipper reportedly meets Joseph Bearden and later leaves with Bearden and William David Brown Jr. in his car. Skipper is beaten, stabbed 20 times, and has his throat slit.

  3. 2007-03-15

    Skipper's body is discovered along a roadside in Wahneta, Florida.

  4. 2008-01

    Documentary 'Accessory to Murder: Our Culture's Complicity in the Death of Ryan Skipper' premieres.

  5. 2009-02-16

    Trial of Joseph Bearden begins.

  6. 2009-02-28

    Jury finds Bearden guilty of second-degree murder and four additional counts.

  7. 2009-10-26

    Trial of William David Brown Jr. begins.

  8. 2009-11-03

    Jury finds Brown guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, and tampering with evidence.

  9. 2009-12-01

    Brown is sentenced to life without parole plus additional terms by Circuit Judge Michael Hunter.

  10. 2015-04-16

    Florida Supreme Court quashes the District Court's opinion and grants Bearden a new trial.

  11. 2016-10

    Bearden pleads guilty to third-degree murder and is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

  12. 2024-03

    Bearden is released on conditional parole; a warrant is later issued for failure to contact supervisors.

  13. 2024-09-14

    Bearden is re-arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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People

  • William David Brown Jr.

    CONVICTED

    Found guilty by a Polk County jury of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, and tampering with evidence on November 3, 2009; sentenced to life in prison without parole.

  • Joseph Bearden

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of second-degree murder and four other counts in 2009; conviction later overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 2015; pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in October 2016 and sentenced to 20 years.

  • Ryan Keith Skipper

    VICTIM

    25-year-old man from Polk County, Florida, killed on March 14, 2007.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Wahneta, Florida

27.9739, -81.6837

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Ryan Skipper, a 25-year-old man from Polk County, Florida, was beaten and stabbed to death on 14 March 2007 in a killing authorities declared a hate crime; two men were later convicted.
Where did the murder happen?
Wahneta, Florida.
Who was convicted?
William David Brown Jr. (Found guilty by a Polk County jury of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, and tampering with evidence on November 3, 2009; sentenced to life in prison without parole.) and Joseph Bearden (Convicted of second-degree murder and four other counts in 2009; conviction later overturned by the Florida Supreme Court in 2015; pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in October 2016 and sentenced to 20 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Florida

Sources

  1. PRESSFlorida Supreme Court overturns Polk County man's 2nd-degree murder convictionBay News 9 · 2026-07-11
  2. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Ryan SkipperWikipedia · 2026-07-10