A 21-year-old man sits behind bars after allegedly confessing to the brutal slaying of his grandparents with a sword and knife, Huntsville Police Department officials reported. Xavier Cole was arrested late Friday, February 21, 2025, following a grisly discovery at a home on the 12000 block of Carriage Court.
Police responded to the scene at 10:30 p.m. after a call brought them to the quiet residential street. There, they found Cole waiting in a car outside the house. According to WHNT-TV, Cole immediately admitted to officers that he had killed his grandparents inside.
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Stepping into the residence, authorities confirmed the horrific claim: 67-year-old Antoinette Skaggs and 69-year-old Kenneth Skaggs were dead, their lives cut short by what officials later deemed “foul play.”
The Madison County Coroner’s Office was summoned to the scene, where they determined the couple’s deaths were homicides. Police wasted no time charging Cole with two counts of capital murder, a crime that could carry the death penalty or life without parole in Alabama if he’s convicted.
Cole was booked into Madison County Jail in the early hours of February 22, where records show he’s being held without bond.
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Details about what led to the alleged attack remain scarce—police have not released a motive, and it’s unclear what sparked the violent outburst that left a family shattered.
As investigators piece together the events of that fateful night, Cole awaits his next court appearance, facing the weight of charges that could define the rest of his life—or end it.
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