A jury in Colorado has convicted an 83-year-old man of the gruesome murder and dismemberment of his wife and disabled daughter.
Prosecutors say Reginald MacLaren was found guilty on Friday of two counts each of first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased body, and false reporting, according to a press release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
MacLaren killed his wife, Bethany MacLaren, 70, and daughter, Ruth Jennifer MacLaren, 35, using an ax.
He then dismembered their bodies with a saw and stuffed them into trash cans he had purchased a week earlier from Home Depot.
On March 25, 2023, around 6 p.m., MacLaren called the Englewood Police Department to report that he believed his wife and daughter had been murdered.
When officers arrived at his home, they found two large trash cans in the living room.
Inside one bin was the severed body of his wife, and in the other was his daughter’s body.
Officers also discovered a large ax in a closet and a saw next to the trash cans.
Chief Deputy DA Jake Adkins described the crime as a premeditated and senseless ambush. “Mr. MacLaren betrayed his family in a gruesome and senseless ambush that he planned for weeks,” Adkins said. “He violently murdered his wife and daughter and planned to dispose of their bodies like trash.”
MacLaren is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 and faces a mandatory life sentence.
Senior Deputy DA Corrie Caler expressed the jury's relief at the verdict, highlighting the terror the victims must have felt in their final moments.
“It is difficult to imagine the fear and confusion that these two women endured in their final moments,” Caler said.
“Ruth and Bethany MacLaren’s lives were needlessly cut short, and we are thankful for the jury in returning a just verdict.”
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Englewood police stated in a press release that both victims had sustained “substantial injuries” and showed “no signs of life.”
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Englewood homicide detectives, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation Crime Scene Unit, and the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office all collaborated on the investigation.
According to a sworn affidavit, detectives found a Stanley brand hand saw near the trash cans and observed large amounts of blood throughout the apartment.
Approximately three hours after making the 911 call, MacLaren confessed to the murders.
He explained that he had recently lost his job, had no money left, and decided to kill his family to prevent them from becoming homeless.
“Approximately 10 days ago, [MacLaren] began planning to kill his family so they would not be homeless,” the affidavit states.
“He bought an ax, two ‘Totter’ style trash cans, and a hand saw from Home Depot.
He fully intended to use these items in the commission of the murders.”
MacLaren provided a detailed account of the murders to the investigators.
“This morning (3/25/23) at approximately 11 a.m., his wife and daughter were sitting on the couch. He struck his wife in the head with the ax, immediately knocking her unconscious,” the affidavit states.
“He then struck his daughter in the head with the ax, knocking her unconscious. He struck each victim in the head with the ax two more times. He knew he had killed them.”
He further explained that he realized their bodies wouldn’t fit into the trash cans, so he used the saw to dismember their limbs before placing the remains into the bins.
However, he couldn’t move the cans because he wasn’t strong enough.
“[MacLaren] does not regret killing his family as he ‘knows they are in a better place,’” police wrote in the affidavit.
Englewood Police Division Chief Tracy Jones commented on the severity of the crime scene, noting that some detectives with over 20 years of experience said it was one of the most gruesome scenes they had ever encountered.
Comments
Post a Comment