How Concord detectives cracked the Reid double-murder case
Published: 10-30-2022 9:00 PM |
For six months, making an arrest in the double murder of Steve and Wendy Reid was the top priority at the Concord Police department.
Hours of interviews, repeated searches of the crime scene, reviewing surveillance video from nearby stores, and obtaining bank, airport and phone records finally led police to identify and eventually locate Logan Clegg, the 26-year-old drifter they charged with double homicide.
“I could not be more proud of our Concord police officers, our detectives and our support staff with the thousands of hours they have poured into the investigation,” Concord Police Chief Brad Osgood said earlier this month when Clegg was charged. “I thank each and every one of them for their hard work, professionalism and dedication to the pursuit of justice for Wendy and Steve Reid and their family.”
Court records show how police identified their prime subject – a man who was seen living in the woods near the murder scene in the Broken Ground trail system and described by all as clean-shaven, neat in appearance and unfriendly to others. Police dubbed him the Mountain Dew Man because when they encountered him the day before the Reids were found, he gave them a fake name, but was carrying several cans of Mountain Dew soda.
The next time Concord Police came in contact with him, it was Detective Wade Brown who interviewed Clegg after he had been taken into custody in South Burlington. Clegg had waived his Miranda rights and denied any connection to the shootings.
Three months after the murders, Detective Brown recovered footage from the Shaw’s Supermarket near the Steeplegate Mall showing a man entering the woods near the crime scene on the day of the murders. He was wearing dark pants, dark boots, a blue jacket and a black backpack, all matching the description of their prime suspect, the Mountain Dew Man.
The trail is known to cut through to the Alton Woods Complex, where the Reids lived and had left for a walk. The man entered the trail at 2:32 p.m, about 15 minutes before the shooting.
Later that day, Detective Brown walked from the Shaw’s location, accessed the trail system and was able to navigate to the site of the shootings and reasoned that there was adequate time for a person walking this route to arrive at the crime scene before the murder occurred.
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Detective Garrett Lemoine came in contact with the suspect, later identified as Clegg, the day before the Reids’ bodies were found, according to court records. Police were still investigating a report of two missing people, not a double homicide.
Clegg told police his name was Arthur Kelly, an alias he often used on fake identification to purchase guns, mailing addresses for ammunition and work forms to avoid his criminal history. Detective Lemoine, weary of their encounter with him, searched all local databases but could not find an Arthur Kelly.
He was not seen in Concord again.
Early in the investigation, Detective Danika Gorham spoke to witnesses and local residents, studied surveillance footage at local grocery stores in search of the suspect and recovered spent bullets at the crime scene.
Officer Brian Cregg examined a burnt tent site belonging to the suspect and recovered 155 propane tanks that led detectives to search sale records in the area and discover a credit card used by the suspect which was used to identify him.
In August, Detective Nicole Murray and Gorham returned to the campsite and discovered spent 9mm shell casings matching those recovered at the crime scene, connecting Arthur Kelly directly to the murders.
While reviewing the Walmart sales records in September, Detective Brown discovered 12 separate transactions made by Arthur Kelly that were paid with different credit cards. Tracking the cards, he noted that one of them made two purchases on a supplement website under the name Logan Clegg.
Searching records countrywide, Detective Brown found a booking photo from Cache County, Utah of Clegg that matched the description of their suspect. Detective Lemoine reviewed the booking photo and agreed they were the same person.
This was the moment when detectives learned that Arthur Kelly was Logan Clegg and identified their suspect. Their next step was finding him.
A few weeks later in October, Detective Gorham received the subpoena results from Greyhound Lines that showed Clegg, under the alias Arthur Kelly, purchased a bus ticket in May from Boston to Burlington.
On Oct. 11, Detective Gorham was made aware by a detective in Logan, Utah, that a Homeland Security Investigator notified him that Clegg had booked a one-way flight to Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 14. The same day, Detective Gorham received an email from the federal investigator with Clegg’s contact information, including a Verizon phone number that tracked Clegg to a public park in Burlington.
On Oct. 12, Detective Brown notified Detective Lemoine and Detective Matthew Doyon, who were in Burlington pursuing the suspect, that Clegg was tracked to a Price Chopper store downtown. A few minutes later, Detective Doyon notified Detective Brown that he and Detective Lemoine had eyes on Clegg.
Clegg was taken into custody that afternoon by Vermont State Police and the South Burlington Police Department on Oct. 12, two days before his scheduled one-way flight to Germany.
The next morning, Detective Brown, Detective Lemoine and Detective Doyon used data provided by Verizon to locate Clegg’s tent site, which was searched by the South Burlington Police Department. They recovered a Glock 17 and several rounds of 9mm ammunition, both matching the weapon and ammunition used in the murders. Detectives spoke with an employee at a gun shop in Barre, Vermont, who confirmed that they sold the gun and bullets to an Arthur Kelly in February.
On Oct. 18, Detective Gorham obtained an arrest warrant for Clegg on two charges of second-degree murder. The arrest and detainment of Clegg was conducted by the South Burlington Police Department.
“Six months ago, this senseless tragedy became our number one priority,” Osgood said on Oct. 20, the day after Clegg was charged with murder. “Not a single day went by where it did not remain our highest priority and it still remains our highest priority today.”
On Tuesday, Clegg was brought back to New Hampshire to answer to the charges. He pleaded not guilty.