OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The dying penalty trial for accused serial killer William Lewis Reece continued Tuesday afternoon within the Oklahoma County Courthouse.
Reece is accused of killing 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston in Bethany in 1997.
Bethany Police Chief John Reid took the stand close to the start of day two. Again in 1997, then-sergeant-Reid testified he noticedJohnston’s lone white Dodge Neon was nonetheless in a stall at a Bethany automotive wash.
Attorneys supplied images of the automotive on the Sunshine Carwash close to Northwest twenty third and Council in Bethany. The chief testified Johnston’s automotive mats had been nonetheless hanging up, her keys had been within the ignition and her doorways had been unlocked.
Reid stated he searched the automotive to seek out any extra clues to who it belonged to. Within the glove field, he discovered a leather-based notice pad with a number of numbers written on it, together with her husband’s pager quantity.
Johnston’s husband, Ryan Johnston, testified he went out to seek for his spouse after noticing she wasn’t house and that she hadn’t left a notice. He stated as he searched, he obtained a web page on his pager from the Bethany Police Division, to which he responded.
The chief and detective testified they knew Johnston was a lacking particular person after listening to from her husband. Later, Bethany police realized they didn’t have the assets to tackle a case like this and requested for assist from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations.
The subsequent day, three individuals stumbled upon Johnston’s physique whereas looking for one other lacking lady. All three testified the 19-year-old was bare, aside from a washing swimsuit prime, and mendacity face down in a Canadian County subject.
Attorneys confirmed the jury graphic crime scene images. The investigator described the images and identified purple marks on Johnston’s arms and arms.
Johnston is one in every of William Reece’s 4 alleged homicide victims. Victims Laura Smither, Kelli Cox, and Jessica Cain had been allegedly murdered in Texas.
A number of of Reeces different alleged sexual assault or rape victims took the stand.
Certainly one of them, Sandra Sapaugh, testified Reece kidnapped her at knife-point in Texas. She escaped by leaping out of his shifting truck on the interstate.
Whereas serving a 60-year sentence for that conviction, Reece’s DNA was obtained and later linked again to Tiffany Johnston’s homicide in Bethany.
Later, detectives stated they discovered a calling card allegedly utilized by Reece at a payphone close to Johnston’s physique.
The protection argues anybody may have used the cardboard.
Day three of the trial begins 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
The prosecution is searching for the dying penalty.
The protection is making an attempt to show the jury shall be unable to find out Reece did it past an inexpensive doubt, which is required in a dying penalty trial. The protection argues there’s room for error.
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