A jury began considering the case of a man charged with fatally shooting a retired couple from New Hampshire while they were on a hiking trail. Prosecutors claim he lied to the police to hide his crimes, while the defense argues that the authorities have the wrong person.
Logan Clegg, 27, is facing second-degree murder charges for the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende "Wendy" Reid. The Reids, who had retired after doing international development work, were shot multiple times during a walk near their apartment in Concord on April 18, 2022. Their bodies, discovered several days later, had been concealed in the woods with leaves, sticks, and debris.
At the time of the incident, Clegg was living in a tent near the trail. The trial began on October 3, and closing arguments were presented on Thursday. Clegg is also charged with multiple counts of tampering with physical evidence and with possessing a gun as a convicted felon. In court on Thursday, he admitted to the latter charge.
When the Reids were reported missing, Clegg, who was questioned by investigators searching for them, provided a false name. He later set fire to his tent, deleted data from his computer, and purchased a one-way bus ticket out of Concord. In October 2022, investigators located and arrested Clegg in South Burlington, Vermont. He was carrying a one-way plane ticket to Berlin, a fake passport, and a gun in his backpack. Prosecutors argue that Clegg's lies, attempted escape, and the gun found on him provide clear evidence of his guilt.
Prosecutor Joshua Speicher stated, "The state has proven to you that the defendant, and only the defendant, killed Stephen and Wendy." He described the killing as senseless and claimed that they had proven it beyond a reasonable doubt. However, he added, "What we don't know is why. We just don't know."
Clegg's defense team asserts that he did not kill the Reids and that he provided a false name to the police and left New Hampshire because he was evading authorities after violating probation related to 2021 burglary and theft charges in Utah. They argue that Clegg had already spent time abroad in Portugal before returning to the United States.
Defense attorney Mariana Dominguez argued that the state's case was flawed, saying, "Logan Clegg is not guilty." She claimed that the police had made unfounded assumptions and disregarded the available scientific evidence. Clegg's lawyers also contended that an analysis of shell casings and bullets found in the area could not definitively link his gun to the shots and that the casings could have come from various firearms.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, maintained that the bullets and casings were from Clegg's gun. Both sides presented differing accounts of a woman who encountered the Reids on the trail. Defense attorneys argued that the man she saw on the trail was not Clegg, pointing to inconsistencies in clothing descriptions.
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