Serial rapist dies in Mississippi prison weeks after guilty verdict, coroner confirms

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A serial rapist who claimed a Mississippi woman as one of his victims has died in prison just weeks after being sentenced.

Daniel Ray Skaggs, 66, of Oklahoma, was found guilty of rape and kidnapping charges by a Brandon jury in June.

Benji Kirkbride was raped by Skaggs in August of 1990 after Skaggs hid inside Kirkbride’s van, put a knife to her throat and forced her to drive. After raping her, he walked into the woods near I-20 in Brandon.

Prosecutors said DNA evidence from a rape kit helped link Skaggs to the crime.

In June of 1977, Skaggs was found guilty of aggravated rape and second-degree rape in Texas. He was also possibly connected to crimes in Tennessee and Georgia.

After being found guilty of his charges in June of 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

It was not revealed how Skaggs died.

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