Uncle Scam Wants You
March, 1995
It began with an act of generosity. Jennifer Skarie, a 41-year-old mother of three, let one of her ex-husband's relatives, John Byrd, move onto her ranch in Valley Center, California in late 1988. She became alarmed, however, when he used methamphetamine in her house and pressured her to put him in touch with people who would sell him drugs. Then, according to the subsequent court record, "He began to make sexual advances toward her and the women living with her. Byrd was a violent person w...
