Detectives continuing testimony against Clegg, questioned answered 

Logan Clegg confers with defense attorney Caroline Smith during a break on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at the Merrimack County Courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire.

Logan Clegg confers with defense attorney Caroline Smith during a break on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at the Merrimack County Courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

 Christopher Sanborn, co-owner of R & L Archery, testifies at the Logan Clegg trial on Thursday at the Merrimack County Superior Courthouse in Concord. Sanborn sold Clegg the Glock 17 in February 2022.

Christopher Sanborn, co-owner of R & L Archery, testifies at the Logan Clegg trial on Thursday at the Merrimack County Superior Courthouse in Concord. Sanborn sold Clegg the Glock 17 in February 2022. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

By JAMIE L. COSTA

Monitor staff

Published: 10-12-2023 6:10 PM

Christopher Sanborn, a co-owner of R & L Archery in Barre, Vermont, sold Logan Clegg a Glock 17 on February 25, 2022, he testified in court Thursday.

In order to purchase a handgun in of Vermont, the buyer needs be over the age of 21, be in possession of a valid government-issued form of identification such as a passport or a license with a valid address in Vermont, and pass a background check, Sanborn said.

During the sale, Clegg presented Sanborn with what he believed was a valid Vermont driver’s license with the name Arthur Kelly and a home address in the town of Barre, Sanborn said. 

Arthur Kelly was one of Clegg’s aliases and the gun he purchased that day was the weapon he used two months later to murder Wendy and Steve Reid when they were out for a walk near their home, prosecutors and police said.

Earlier in the day two details of the crime – rubbing alcohol purchased by Clegg and a white powder found sprinkled over the area where their bodies were recovered – were discussed. 

Forensic examiner James Brewer testified that he analyzed a leaf covered in an unknown white powder in May when it was sent to the FBI Quantico lab. The original request from Concord detectives was to determine if the substance was lye, or sodium hydroxide, a chemical known to dissolve natural matter easily, but Brewer determined it was baking soda, he said. 

On Thursday, Gorham testified that police found no indication that Clegg purchased baking soda while in the state of New Hampshire, but police could not collect purchase receipts from all of the stores he shopped at, like Shaws, Hannaford and 7-Eleven, all of which sell baking soda. When Clegg’s tent site was found in Vermont, police recovered an empty box of baking soda purchased from Price Chopper, a grocery store in Vermont where Clegg worked.

On more than one occasion before the homicides, Clegg also purchased rubbing alcohol, Concord Detective Danika Gorham testified under cross-examination from Clegg’s attorneys.

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The purpose of the cross-examination was to show that Clegg’s purchase of baking soda and rubbing alcohol were semi-regular purchases and no not link him to the crime.

Clegg’s defense attorneys have maintained his innocence and continue to argue that his elusive behavior before and after the fatal shootings was a result of his previous felony convictions and paranoia to keep his identity hidden from police, not an indication of guilt.

Clegg is facing four charges of second-degree murder, four charges of falsifying evidence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, felonies. If found guilty, he faces life in prison. He has remained held without bail in the Merrimack County House of Corrections in Boscawen since his arrest last fall.

The Reids were known for their years of humanitarian work around the world and had recently moved to Concord to retire. They were outdoor enthusiasts who frequently walked at the Broken Ground trails, family and friends said.

Concord Detective Wade Brown will take the stand Friday morning, rounding out the second week of trial. The trial could last until the end of October.