Man Convicted at Trial of Robbery, Burglary, Conspiracy After Forcing Way Into Disabled Woman’s Apartment in 2024

NORFOLK, Va. — Terrance Allen Skinner, 29, was convicted at a bench trial of robbery, burglary with the intent to commit robbery, and conspiring to commit those two felonies after he and another individual forced their way into a disabled woman’s Wards Corner apartment to steal cash from her last year.

Around 10 p.m. on Oct. 6, Mr. Skinner and an unidentified accomplice went to the victim’s residence on Birmingham Avenue with a plan to burglarize her apartment and steal her cash savings. Mr. Skinner had met the victim — whose disability requires her to use a walker — and had been inside her apartment on a prior occasion when he and her neighbor helped her to assemble a bookcase. During that visit, Mr. Skinner observed that the victim had a savings notebook containing cash, because the victim opened the notebook to give the men a tip for their work.

On the night of the robbery, Mr. Skinner knocked on the victim’s door and, when she asked through the door who was there, Mr. Skinner said her neighbor’s name. After the victim pulled open the door slightly and saw that Mr. Skinner was not in fact her neighbor, Mr. Skinner and the accomplice pushed into the door, causing the victim to fall and be unable to get back up. Mr. Skinner and his accomplice rifled through the victim’s belongings while yelling at her and demanding the location of the cash. The victim, still on the floor, indicated that she would need to crawl in order to show them where it was, to which Mr. Skinner responded, “Crawl then.” The victim complied, crawled to the bookcase Mr. Skinner had helped her to assemble, and gave Mr. Skinner’s accomplice the notebook, which contained about $200 in cash. Mr. Skinner and his accomplice then took the victim’s cell phone and fled her apartment.

Someone assisted the victim in calling police, and arriving officers took a description of Mr. Skinner, whom the victim said she knew from their prior interaction only as “Rex.” A nearby patrol officer located Mr. Skinner standing outside a residence, and Mr. Skinner identified himself to the officer as “Rex.” The officer placed Mr. Skinner under arrest, he brought Mr. Skinner back to the victim’s apartment, and the victim confirmed that Mr. Skinner was one of the men who had just robbed her.

On June 2, Mr. Skinner pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested to be tried by a judge. After hearing the evidence, Judge Devon R. Paige found Mr. Skinner guilty of robbery, conspiring to commit robbery, burglary, and conspiring to commit burglary. Judge Paige set Mr. Skinner’s sentencing hearing on Aug. 8.

“Mr. Skinner and his accomplice committed a particularly blameworthy and immoral crime: using the kindness of a disabled person to set her up and victimize her for her kindness,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “My thoughts and appreciation are with the victim of this crime, who helped us hold Mr. Skinner accountable, and at sentencing we will seek a sanction against Mr. Skinner for committing this violent crime.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting Mr. Skinner’s case, and Norfolk Police Detective Patrick A. Garvey led the investigation.

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