A Michigan landlord is sentence to life in prison after a jury rejected his claim that he killed his two tenants in self-defense, reports FOX News.
Guilty of second-degree murder in Joseph Soule’s death and first-degree murder in Jaclyn Lepird’s, Chad Allen Reed, 56, faces life without parole and an additional 125 years.
On Oct. 7, 2020, an argument ensued between Reed and his tenants. Reed reportedly lived downstairs from the couple in his two-story house in Battle Creek.
According to Susan Mladenoff, Reed’s public defender, Lepird had a
“bad temper,”
and the couple engaged in substance use together.
This was confirmed in court by medical examiners,’ who testified that the couple had cocaine and alcohol in their bloodstreams when they died.
Reed claims shot Soule after he pulled a knife out on him, strangling Lepird afterward due to fear of a witness.
“He not only shot her, he chased her down,”
Calhoun County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tamara L. Towns told jurors, FOX 17 reported.
“He hit her with a metal object. He tried to slit her throat. He then strangled her until a life went out of her.”
Consideration of various factors, including Reed’s treatment of victims, disrespect toward bodies, lack of remorse, and criminal history, influenced the judge’s decision.
As per court records, Reed previously had a 2005 felony assault conviction and pleaded no contest in 2003 to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Lepird’s sister Trinity McAllister expressed her gratitude towards the ruling.
“We were very pleased with the decision,”
she told FOX 17 in a statement after the sentencing.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
