Rejecting the equitable tolling claim based on attorney abandonment because the petitioner was aware of the filing deadline and aside from his repeated attempts to contact counsel for confirmation that the petition was filed, he made no affirmative steps to protect his rights and "there was no affirmative lie or communication by any of the assigned counsel to [the petitioner] that his PCR petition had been filed;" rather, "[t]here simply was no communication at all by his assigned attorneys"
The Supreme Court of New Jersey denied certification on January 21, 1999. State v. R.S., 157 N.J. 646 (1999). Skelton did not file a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States.