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Grandmother found guilty of murder

QUINCY -- A 74-year-old woman accused of shooting to death her granddaughter's estranged husband has been found guilty by an Adams County jury.

Shirley Skinner was charged with first-degree murder in the November 2008 death of 32-year-old Steven Watkins of Chandlerville.

It took the jury two hours Thursday to convict Skinner. Her trial was held in Quincy on a venue change from Cass County.

Authorities say Watkins was shot in the back of the head after he arrived at Skinner's Ashland home to pick up his daughter for a court-ordered visit. Watkins was to be in court the next day in a pending divorce case with his estranged wife, who is Skinner's granddaughter.

Skinner was also found guilty of trying to hire two men to kill Watkins.

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