Retired N.H. Couple Out for a Walk Was Murdered at Random by Man Living in Tent
Logan Clegg, 27, was convicted of killing Stephen Reid, 67, and his wife Djeswende Reid, 66, in the New Hampshire woods
A New Hampshire man who was living in a tent in the woods was found guilty of murdering a retired couple who had gone for a walk on a local hiking trail.
On Monday, a jury in Concord convicted Logan Clegg, 27, on four counts of second-degree murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and four counts of falsifying physical evidence in the deaths of Stephen Reid, 67, and his wife, Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, 66.
Clegg was found guilty of both “knowingly and recklessly causing the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende Reid” on April 18, 2022, “under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value of human life by shooting them with a gun,” Attorney General John Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood said in a joint statement.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on April 18, 2022, Stephen and Djeswende left their Alton Woods apartment and headed toward the area of Broken Ground Trails near their house, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said at the time.
Related: N.H. Authorities Charge Man, 26, for Murders of Couple Who Went Missing After Taking a Walk
Recently retired, the couple had done international development work, NBC Boston reports.
A relative reported them missing two days later after Stephen failed to show up for an event, the Concord Police Department said.
Their family last saw them on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022.
"They are avid outdoors people and are known to take frequent walks along the trails near their Concord residence," police said at the time. "Their absence and lack of communication with family-friends are uncharacteristic, and their disappearance is of significant concern."
Related: New Hampshire Couple Who Went Missing Found Shot to Death in Wooded Area, Authorities Say
The last time anyone communicated with the Reids was on Monday, April 18, 2022. Their bodies were found in the woods a few days later, covered with leaves and sticks, police said.
They were shot multiple times, police said.
When questioned by police, Clegg gave a different name, The Associated Press reports.
He also burned his tent and erased information on his computer, prosecutors said, KATV reports.
When he was arrested in South Burlington, Vt., he was found with a one-way plane ticket to Berlin, Germany, a fake passport and a gun in his backpack, prosecutors said, the AP reports.
His lawyers said police arrested the wrong suspect.
They said he left New Hampshire because he had been hiding out from police after he violated his probation on burglary and theft charges in Utah, the AP reports.
His lawyers also said that the shell casings and bullets found in the woods could have come from many different guns, according to NBC Boston.
“Logan Clegg is not guilty,” one of his lawyers, Mariana Dominguez, told the jury in her closing arguments, per NBC Boston. “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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The couple’s family said they were relieved that the jury convicted Clegg.
"A liar, a thief, a murderer has been brought to justice today," the victims' son, Brian Reid, said, NBC Boston reports. "There's no doubt in my mind that defendant would have killed again and again and again until he was stopped."
"Lifelong humanitarians, beloved worldwide. May Steve and Wendy rest in peace," their daughter-in-law, Jackie Reid, said, according to NBC Boston.
Clegg faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on December 15, 2023, at the Merrimack County Superior Court in Concord.
He is being held without bail.
His attorneys did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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