Current:Home > StocksTrial of a man accused of killing a New Hampshire couple on a hiking trail nears conclusion-InfoLens
Trial of a man accused of killing a New Hampshire couple on a hiking trail nears conclusion
View Date:2024-12-23 16:10:18
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Prosecutors in the case of a man charged with fatally shooting a retired New Hampshire couple on a hiking trail argued Thursday that his repeated lies, bid to flee and a gun in his backpack offered a trail of evidence to show he was guilty.
Defense attorneys for Logan Clegg, 27, who is charged with second-degree murder counts of knowingly and recklessly causing the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, argued that authorities charged the wrong man.
The newly retired couple, who did international development work, were shot multiple times after going for a walk on the trail near their Concord apartment April 18, 2022. Their bodies, found several days later, had been dragged into the woods and covered with leaves, sticks and debris, police said.
Clegg also is charged with several counts of falsifying physical evidence and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
“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 said, describing the killing as senseless. “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.”
Defense attorney Mariana Dominguez argued the state’s case was built on speculation and was full of holes.
“Logan Clegg is not guilty,” she said. “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.”
After the Reids were reported missing, prosecutors said Clegg, who questioned by investigators searching for them, burned his tent, erased information from his computer and bought a bus ticket out of Concord. Investigators eventually found him in South Burlington with a one-way plane ticket to Berlin, Germany, a fake passport and a gun in his backpack.
Prosecutors said that shell casings and bullet fragments were later found at the crime scene. Shell casings also were found at a location later discovered to be Clegg’s tent site. Prosecutors said bullets fired from Clegg’s 9 mm handgun were consistent in caliber and class characteristics as bullet fragments found during the Reids’ autopsies.
Lawyers for Clegg said he was on probation in 2021 on burglary and larceny offenses in Utah and wasn’t hiding from police. They also said an analysis of shell casings and bullets found in the area could not conclude that his gun fired the shots and that the casing could have come from a variety of guns.
“They have no idea what gun killed the Reids,” Dominguez told the jury during her closing arguments, adding that police “only had eyes” for Clegg’s gun.
Both sides also gave differing accounts of a woman who was walking on the trail with her dogs and allowed the Reids to pass her and walk ahead. She later heard gunshots, then came across a man on the trail before continuing her hike. Defense attorneys argued the man she saw on the trial was not Clegg, noting the clothing he had did not match the prosecution’s description.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Caitlin Clark shanks tee shot, nearly hits fans at LPGA's The Annika pro-am
- Max Homa takes lead into weekend at BMW Championship after breaking course record
- Wendy's breakfast menu gets another addition: New English muffin sandwiches debut this month
- U.S. businessman serving sentence for bribery in Russia now arrested for espionage
- Mike Tyson impresses crowd during workout ahead of Jake Paul fight
- Survey shows most people want college athletes to be paid. You hear that, NCAA?
- James Buckley, Conservative senator and brother of late writer William F. Buckley, dies at 100
- Thousands more Mauritanians are making their way to the US, thanks to a route spread on social media
- Sofia Richie Reveals 5-Month-Old Daughter Eloise Has a Real Phone
- Former soldier sentenced to life in prison for killing Alabama police officer
Ranking
- Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
- 9 California officers charged in federal corruption case
- 'Motivated by insatiable greed': Miami real estate agent who used PPP funds on Bentley sentenced
- Company that leaked radioactive material will build barrier to keep it away from Mississippi River
- Does your dog have arthritis? A lot of them do. But treatment can be tricky
- FTC fines Experian for littering inboxes with spam, giving customers no way to unsubscribe
- Hilary rapidly grows to Category 4 hurricane off Mexico and could bring heavy rain to US Southwest
- Wisconsin Republicans propose eliminating work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds
Recommendation
-
College Football Playoff snubs: Georgia among teams with beef after second rankings
-
The Perfect Fall Sweater Is Only $32 and You’ll Want 1 in Every Color
-
How Euphoria’s Alexa Demie Is Healing and Processing Costar Angus Cloud's Death
-
Dr. Nathaniel Horn, the husband of US Rep. Robin Kelly, has died at 68
-
Certifying this year’s presidential results begins quietly, in contrast to the 2020 election
-
Clashes erupt between militias in Libya, leaving dozens dead
-
Lil Tay's Mom Angela Tian Details Custody Battle and Severe Depression Following Death Hoax
-
'We probably would’ve been friends,' Harrison Ford says of new snake species named for him