Defendant Sentenced to 150 Years for 2022 Double Homicide

Shelby County, TN — Joshua Gossett was sentenced today to 150 years in prison. This comes after a Shelby County jury found him guilty in April of two counts of First-Degree Murder and related firearm charges for the 2022 killings of Shunish Baggett and Richard Skelskey.

Chief Prosecutor Carrie Bush and Assistant District Attorney JD Hamblen successfully prosecuted the case, securing guilty verdicts on all charges. During the trial, they presented testimony from 15 witnesses, 57 exhibits, numerous surveillance videos, and approximately six hours of Gossett's recorded statement to police.

The convictions stem from events on October 30, 2022. Prosecutors proved that Gossett used the Lyft app to travel to the home of Shunish Baggett, where he shot and killed her. He then used the app again to request a ride from the scene. Richard Skelskey, an 80-year-old Lyft driver, accepted the request. After Skelskey picked him up, Gossett shot him in the head, stole his vehicle, and drove away.

Using Gossett's digital footprint, surveillance footage, forensic analysis of electronic evidence, and his own statement to police, prosecutors established his identity and actions, leading to guilty verdicts on all counts.

Before sentencing, members of both victims' families delivered victim impact statements. Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett then sentenced Gossett to 150 years in the Tennessee Department of Correction.