A person who was residing in woodland has been convicted of murdering a retired couple who had gone out for a stroll.

After deliberating for a day and a half, the jury discovered Logan Clegg responsible of the second-degree homicide of Stephen and Djeswende Reid in April final 12 months.

The 27-year-old now faces as much as life in jail when he’s sentenced on 15 December.

The couple have been fatally shot whereas strolling on a path close to their condo in Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire.

Their our bodies, which have been discovered a number of days later, had been dragged into the woods and coated with leaves, sticks and particles.

Clegg, who gave a false title when police questioned him, later burned his tent, erased data from his pc and purchased a bus ticket out of Concord, prosecutors mentioned.

Investigators finally discovered and arrested him in South Burlington, Vermont, with a one-way airplane ticket to Berlin, Germany, a faux passport, and a gun in his backpack.

“A liar, a thief, a murderer has been brought to justice today, more importantly forever,” the couple’s son, Brian Reid, mentioned after the decision.

“Let it be known that the legacy of my parents’ humanitarian work, their kindness, their love for life will endure. Let today be a reminder of the value of human life and the strength of community.”

Joshua Speicher, prosecuting, mentioned: “We’re happy for the families most of all – that there’s some closure here and some accountability.”

Clegg’s legal professionals mentioned he left New Hampshire not as a result of he killed the Reids, however as a result of he had been hiding from police after violating his probation on housebreaking and theft prices in Utah.

He was convicted of all 9 counts he confronted, together with 4 counts of second-degree homicide, one depend of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and 4 counts of falsifying bodily proof.

The falsifying proof counts have been for transferring and concealing the victims’ our bodies, burning his tent, and destroying or eradicating data from his laptop computer.

Prosecutors mentioned Clegg’s repeated lies, his try and flee, and the gun present in his backpack provided a path of proof displaying he was responsible. But the defence claimed authorities charged the unsuitable individual.

‘Senseless killing’

“The state has proven to you over the past three weeks now that the defendant, and the defendant only, killed Stephen and Wendy,” prosecutor Joshua Speicher mentioned, describing the killing as mindless.

“We have proven this beyond a reasonable doubt. We have proven to you how he did it, when he did it, where he did it.”
Speicher added, “What we don’t know is why. We just don’t know.”

Defence lawyer Mariana Dominguez argued that the state’s case was constructed on hypothesis and was stuffed with holes.

She mentioned: “Police investigated, but instead of looking at the science and at the evidence with clear eyes, they speculated. They assumed. … They saw only what they wanted to see. They got the wrong guy.”

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Prosecutors mentioned that shell casings and bullet fragments have been later discovered on the crime scene. Shell casings additionally have been discovered at a location later found to be Clegg’s tent website.

Prosecutors mentioned bullets fired from Clegg’s 9mm handgun have been constant in calibre and sophistication traits as bullet fragments discovered throughout the Reids’ post-mortems.

Both sides additionally gave differing accounts of a lady who was strolling on the path along with her canines and allowed the Reids to move her and stroll forward. She later heard gunshots, then got here throughout a person on the path earlier than persevering with her hike.