3 sentenced in BDSM slaying

CLARKSVILLE — Three people convicted last month in a brutal beating that killed a woman they called their "house slave" were given maximum sentences Tuesday.

BDSM "mistress" Cynthia Skipper was sentenced to 25 years for especially aggravated kidnapping and two years for criminally negligent homicide. She was the boss of several roommates who ordered that her "property," Shirley Beck, be strung up and punished at the Wilson Court home they shared on June 26, 2014. Beck was beaten to death while hanging from the ceiling in the living room.

Skipper's fiance, Derek Vicchitto, was convicted of facilitation of second-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping. He was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum 12 years on the first count and 25 years for the especially aggravated kidnapping. Circuit Court Judge Ayers ordered the sentences run concurrently, meaning at the same time.

The man who beat Beck with a metal pole, Alphonso Richardson II, was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder to be followed by 25 years for especially aggravated kidnapping.

A fourth defendant, Matthew Lee Reynolds, was sentenced May 11 to life in prison on the same charges for kicking and hitting Beck along with Richardson over four hours.

Skipper declined to make a statement to the court or testify before her sentencing, but Vicchitto and Richardson did.

'She forgave me'

Richardson set events in motion by accusing Beck of getting boric acid, used for cockroach control, on cups used by him and his fiance while Beck was cleaning the kitchen. Others in the home gathered, and Skipper ordered Beck to be hung by her arms from a ring in the ceiling of Skipper's bedroom.

Richardson said he did not take part in the first beating, but after Beck was moved to the kitchen — so as to not damage Skipper's electronics as Beck's body was knocked around — he joined in.

"Rage just took over," he testified Tuesday.

He said he punched Beck repeatedly while Richardson kicked her at least 50 times before hitting her with a metal pole taken from a cot.

"I hit Shirley with the pole like three or four times," he said.

On cross-examination, Assistant District Attorney Robert Nash pointed out that Beck had 13 fractured ribs, a fractured sternum and lacerated liver.

"There was punching and kicking and that wasn't enough, so you went and got a metal pole?" Nash asked.

"Yes, sir," Richardson said.

But Richardson told Ayers that since being in jail he has found Jesus and is deeply remorseful for his actions.

"From the bottom of my heart, I'm very sorry for what happened," he said on the stand. "I wish I could have traded places with her."

He said he has been saved and forgiven by the Lord.

"At times I feel like she (Beck) is still with us," he said. "In my heart, I know she forgave me."

His attorney, Eric Yow, tried to bring up mitigating factors in hopes of getting his client lighter sentences that would run concurrently instead of consecutively. He said Richardson aided the police while the others lied and made up a story. He also cited the unusual circumstances of the case because Beck was part of the BDSM lifestyle and surrendered to punishment on a regular basis.

"This was the weirdest case your honor has probably ever seen or will see," Yow said. "His intent was not to kill her."

But Ayers did not rule the way Yow hoped.

"BDSM was unique, but that's not the issue here," Ayers said. "Ms. Beck was beaten to death, and that's the bottom line."

She ordered Richardson's sentences to run consecutively because she said society needed to be protected.

State law requires that those found guilty of first-degree murder be sentenced to life in prison, which is 60 years, with no possible release for good behavior for at least 51 years. His 25-year sentence for especially aggravated kidnapping will begin after that.

'I would follow certain orders'

Vicchitto testified Tuesday that Skipper was his fiance, and while he could be a dominant or submissive in certain cases, she was his BDSM "mistress" and he had to follow her rules or be punished.

He denied that he helped take Beck down several times after she passed out and then helped hang her back up for more punishment. He also said he does not remember striking Beck.

His adopted mother and father testified that Vicchitto was a special needs child who was legally blind and had cerebral palsy. They said he was teased and ostracized as a child and then abused at a specialized high school, which caused him to change. They said they did not know his IQ but that it was low, and he had never been in trouble with the law before his arrest in Beck's homicide.

"He explained he was a sex slave there and had to do what he was told to do," said his mother, Shirley Vicchitto. "His self-esteem was very low."

But Nash pointed out that Vicchitto was the one who called 911 and told police that he found Beck beaten in a grocery store parking lot and tried to mislead investigators.

His attorney, Cleveland Turner, said Derek Vicchitto would have likely never been in trouble had he not fallen in with Skipper.

"He got somehow involved in what we would consider an abnormal lifestyle," Turner said. "He was supposed to do what he was told to do."

He said his client told Richardson and Reynolds at some point to quit, but they continued to beat Beck while Derek Vicchitto and Skipper watched.

Ayers said the court did not find enough enhancing factors to make Derek Vicchitto's sentences consecutive, so his 12-year sentence for facilitation to commit second-degree murder and his 25 years for especially aggravated kidnapping will be served at the same time.

'Ms. Skipper was the leader'

Skipper did not testify, but her attorney, James Potter, argued she did not hang Beck up or take part in the beating, and a jury at her trial found her guilty of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.

"I have never had a case like this where on the front end it starts as a consensual act," he said.

"It was a tragic event ... but I think Ms. Skipper's involvement is distinct from the other three" defendants, he said.

Nash argued that Skipper was the leader of the group, never called for help and participated in the attempted coverup.

Criminally negligent homicide carries a sentence of one to two years. Ayers sentenced Skipper to two years on that charge and the maximum of 25 years on the especially aggravated kidnapping charge.

Reach Breaking News Reporter Stephanie Ingersoll at 245-0267 or on Twitter @StephLeaf.