Man Goes to Prison for Killing Wife in 1987

男子因 1987 年殺害妻子而被判入獄

Jun 28, 2026, 06:10
USSociety

Introduction

Reginald Reed Sr. killed his wife, Selonia Reed, in 1987. The police found the truth many years later. Now, he is in prison.

Reginald Reed Sr. 於 1987 年殺害了他的妻子 Selonia Reed。警方在多年後才發現真相。現在，他已入獄。

Main Body

Selonia Reed disappeared in August 1987. Police found her body in a car. She had many wounds. Reginald said she left to see a friend, but the friend said this was a lie.

Selonia Reed 於 1987 年 8 月失蹤。警方在車內發現了她的屍體。她身上有許多傷口。Reginald 聲稱她去拜訪一位朋友，但該朋友表示這是在撒謊。

For many years, the police had no answer. In 2011, new police used DNA tests on a cigarette. The DNA led them to a man named Jimmy Ray Barnes. Jimmy said Reginald paid him money to kill Selonia.

多年來，警方一直沒有答案。2011 年，新任警員對一支香菸進行了 DNA 檢測。DNA 指向一名叫 Jimmy Ray Barnes 的男子。Jimmy 表示 Reginald 付錢請他殺害 Selonia。

Reginald had insurance for his wife. He wanted the money. In 2022, a jury listened to the story. They decided Reginald killed his wife and tried to trick the police.

Reginald 為妻子購買了保險。他想要那筆錢。2022 年，陪審團聽取了案情，判定 Reginald 殺害了妻子並企圖欺騙警方。

Conclusion

In January 2023, the judge sent Reginald to prison for the rest of his life. He cannot leave.

2023 年 1 月，法官將 Reginald 判處終身監禁。他無法出獄。

Vocabulary Learning

⏳ The "Past Story" Pattern

When we talk about things that finished a long time ago, we usually add -ed to the action word.

Look at these changes from the text:

  • disappear →\rightarrow disappeared
  • pay →\rightarrow paid (special change)
  • want →\rightarrow wanted
  • decide →\rightarrow decided

Why this matters for A2: If you see -ed, the person is not doing it now. It is a memory or a history story.

💡 Useful Word Pairs

In this story, certain words always work together to explain a crime:

  1. Find →\rightarrow The Truth (Discovering a secret)
  2. Pay →\rightarrow Money (Giving cash for a service)
  3. Send →\rightarrow To Prison (The result of a crime)

Quick Tip: Use these pairs to build simple sentences about news or movies.

Vocabulary Learning

disappeared (v.)
To go away suddenly so that people cannot find you
Example:The cat disappeared under the bed.
wounds (n.)
Injuries to the body, like cuts
Example:The doctor cleaned the wounds on his arm.
insurance (n.)
Money a company pays you if something bad happens
Example:He has car insurance in case of an accident.
jury (n.)
A group of people who decide if someone is guilty in court
Example:The jury said the man was not guilty.
trick (v.)
To make someone believe something that is not true
Example:He tried to trick me into giving him money.
Practice A2 words in a crossword→