Submitted Article and Photos
It was a normal October day in 1973 when twelve-year-old Jennifer Hill left the home of her best friend Ruth Hubbard. She was never seen alive again. Nine days later her body was found in a field. South Williamsport police hurried to solve the crime and ease panic in the area, ultimately arresting Kim Hubbard, the 20-year-old brother of Ruth. He would be tried and convicted of second degree murder, ultimately serving 10 years for the crime.
Almost from the beginning, the case was fraught with drama, accusations, and a thirst for justice. Multiple books have been published on the case, each taking a different view of the process, the evidence, and the ultimate verdict. Was justice served?
In 1973, young reporter Wes Skillings was making a name for himself in Williamsport and was on hand to watch the story unfold. Three years later, he was the first to bring to light the problematic investigation and the questionable evidence. Despite widespread coverage of the issues surrounding the case continuing for many years, Hubbard was never retried or exonerated. Skillings went on to serve as the news editor of the Daily Review from 1979 to 1986 and his hometown paper, the Rocket-Courier, from 1986 to 2011. Upon retirement after 38 years of award-winning journalism, Skillings returned to the case that had haunted him since the beginning.
Forty-nine years after the chilling crime, Skillings’ investigative reporting deep-dive into the case of the murder of Jennifer Hill culminated in the publication in October of 2022 of Mosaic Pieces: Surviving the Dark Side of American Justice. In it, the author utilizes years of investigative reporting insight and skill to expose the raw facts, examine the troubled investigation, and profile the cast of characters impacted by the investigation. Readers of the work and the accompanying website have access to full trial transcripts and all of the evidence to determine whether justice was served.
The Bradford County Regional Arts Council is proud to present an afternoon with the author on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 1:30 pm at the Keystone Theatre in Towanda. True crime and mystery lovers will not want to miss this opportunity to speak to the former local journalist about the mysterious case, his storied career in journalism, and his other work. The event is free to the public and co-sponsored by the Library System of Bradford County.
Wes Skillings is also the self-published author of A Matter of Recovery: The Story of C.B. Miller published in 2014 concerning traumatic brain injury, and the co-author and editor of the Amazon illustrated children’s book “Visit to a Queen” published in 2022 about miniaturized children in a honey bee colony. Skillings earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Mansfield University and served three area
newspapers during an award-winning thirty-eight-year journalism career in which he was given numerous Keystone Press Awards from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. Retired since 2011 from the Rocket-Courier, the Vietnam veteran is now a freelance copywriter and author residing in Wyalusing. His work can be found on his website www.SkillUnlimited.com.