Reginald Reed Sr. has been convicted of the second-degree murder of his spouse, Selonia Reed, following a multi-decade investigation into her 1987 death.

經過對 1987 年 Selonia Reed 之死進行數十年的調查，Reginald Reed Sr. 最終被裁定謀殺其配偶 Selonia Reed 罪成，屬於二級謀殺。

The incident commenced on August 22, 1987, when Selonia Reed, a 26-year-old bank teller, was reported missing. Her body was subsequently recovered from a vehicle near John's Curb Market in Hammond, Louisiana. Forensic evidence indicated the victim had sustained sixteen stab wounds and had been subjected to sexual assault. Initial investigative efforts by the Hammond Police Department identified several anomalies, including the presence of an illegible white substance on the torso and the recovery of a Winston cigarette butt. Although a screwdriver and crucifix were discovered nearby, they yielded no definitive forensic links to the perpetrator.

事件始於 1987 年 8 月 22 日，當時 26 歲的銀行櫃員 Selonia Reed 被舉報失蹤。隨後在路易斯安那州 Hammond 的 John's Curb Market 附近的一輛車內發現其屍體。法醫證據顯示受害者遭受了 16 處刀傷並遭到性侵害。Hammond 警局的初步調查發現了幾項異常，包括軀幹上存在一種無法辨識的白色物質，以及發現了一截 Winston 香菸蒂。雖然在附近發現了一把螺絲起子和一個十字架，但未能提供與兇手之間明確的法醫聯繫。

Stakeholder positioning during the primary investigation was characterized by conflicting accounts. Reginald Reed Sr. asserted that the victim had departed to meet a female acquaintance, a claim later refuted by said acquaintance. While the defendant's six-year-old son, Reginald Reed Jr., provided an alibi stating that he and his father had remained home playing video games, subsequent inquiries revealed a history of domestic instability and allegations of physical abuse. Despite these indicators, the case remained dormant for several decades due to a perceived lack of direct evidence.

在初步調查期間，相關人士的說法充滿矛盾。Reginald Reed Sr. 聲稱受害者是外出與一名女性熟人見面，但該熟人隨後否認了此說法。雖然被告 6 歲的兒子 Reginald Reed Jr. 提供了不在場證明，稱他與父親一直留在家中玩電子遊戲，但隨後的調查揭露了其家庭不穩定的歷史及身體虐待的指控。儘管有這些跡象，但由於被認為缺乏直接證據，此案停滯了數十年。

Institutional momentum resumed in 2011 under the direction of Lt. Barry Ward of the Louisiana State Police. The investigative rapprochement involved the utilization of CODIS DNA profiling on the recovered cigarette butt, which linked the evidence to Billy Ray Barnes. This discovery led to the identification of his identical twin, Jimmy Ray Barnes, as a person of interest. Through a series of negotiations and an eventual plea agreement for the charge of accessory after the fact, Barnes provided testimony alleging that Reginald Reed Sr. had offered him $50,000 to execute the victim. Furthermore, the prosecution highlighted the existence of substantial life insurance policies procured by the defendant shortly before the homicide.

2011 年，在路易斯安那州警察局 Barry Ward 中尉的指導下，調查重新啟動。調查採取了對回收的香菸蒂進行 CODIS DNA 剖析，將證據指向了 Billy Ray Barnes。這一發現導致其同卵雙胞胎兄弟 Jimmy Ray Barnes 被列為重點調查對象。透過一系列協商以及最終就「事後協助罪」達成的認罪協議，Barnes 作證稱 Reginald Reed Sr. 曾向他提供 5 萬美元以執行殺害受害者的計劃。此外，控方強調被告在謀殺案發生前不久投保了大量的人壽保險。

During the November 2022 trial, the defense contended that the state's case was exclusively circumstantial, noting the absence of a murder weapon and the lack of the defendant's DNA under the victim's fingernails. They further suggested that Jimmy Ray Barnes' own history of violent behavior rendered him a more plausible suspect. However, the prosecution's theory—that the defendant murdered his wife in their residence and subsequently staged the crime scene to simulate a sexual assault—was accepted by the jury.

在 2022 年 11 月的審判中，辯方主張控方的案件完全基於間接證據，指出缺乏謀殺凶器且受害者指甲中未發現被告的 DNA。他們進一步暗示 Jimmy Ray Barnes 本身具有暴力行為紀錄，使其成為更合理的嫌疑人。然而，控方的理論——即被告在住所殺害妻子，隨後偽造犯罪現場以模擬性侵害——得到了陪審團的採信。

Reginald Reed Sr. was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in January 2023, a verdict upheld by the denial of his appeal in May 2025.

Reginald Reed Sr. 於 2023 年 1 月被判處終身監禁且不得假釋，此裁決在 2025 年 5 月其上訴被駁回後予以維持。