Woman guilty in dad's killing, mom's stabbing

PORT HURON (AP) -- A jury deliberated about 45 minutes Tuesday before finding an 18-year-old woman guilty of murdering her father and trying to murder her mother in a knife attack at their Port Huron-area home. The St. Clair County Circuit Court jury convicted Tia Skinner of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to murder. She faces automatic life in prison without parole. Skinner stood quietly as the jury's foreman read the verdict. Paul Skinner of Yale was stabbed to death and Mara Skinner was seriously wounded in the November attack. Prosecutors say Tia Skinner was angry at her parents for forbidding her from seeing Jonathan Kurtz and confiscating her cellphone. Authorities say Kurtz and James Preston broke into the home and attacked the couple while Tia Skinner watched a movie in the basement. Kurtz and Preston were convicted earlier of the same charges. All three are scheduled for sentencing Sept. 16 by Judge Daniel Kelly. Published: Thu, Aug 18, 2011