Hide Article Text (OCR)
Jury frees A.C. ReedLITTLE ROCK (AP) -After a Pulaski Circuit Court jury acquitted Alonzo Clay Reed of capital murder charges Tuesday, Reed said he had never been morescared in his life than whenthe verdict was read.When the iury’s verdict was given, Reed and defense attorney R. Wayne Lee embraced each other and Reed’s wife. About a dozen spectatorscheered Reed, 29, of Little Rock said that he was satisfied that he had received a fair trial, and he thanked spectators beforeleaving the courtroom.Later, when Reed left the county jail, where he was confined for the last IS months, he said, “I'd like to say that I hate to leave, but I can’t.”The jury deliberated 7% hours Monday night and Tuesday before reaching the verdict. Reed was charged with shooting to death Ernest Dene Landrum, 21, and Carmen Sue Margrave, 18.The couple’s bodies were found stuffed in the trunk of acar abandoned in Little Rock’s Reservoir Park on Feb. 12, 1974.Prosecutor Wilbur C. “Dub” Bentley said after the verdict was given that it was “highly unlikely” that Phillip Herndon, 28, who also was charged in the slayings, would stand trial. Herndon’s trial has been set for June 18.“I understand that our evidence against Herndon is not as good as it was against Reed,” Bentley said Tuesday. “We had an eyewitness testify that he saw Reed shoot (Landrum), but we don’t have an eyewitness against Herndon.”In another development, Sheriff Ken Best suspended one of four deputies who testified as a defense witness in the trial, apparently for giving testimony that contradicted that of a state’s witness, the Arkansas Gazette reported in today’s editions.Reed went against the advice of his attorneys Monday when he told Circuit Judge Lowber Hendricks Jr. that he did not want the jury to consider any lesser offenses in determining his guilt.Reed said he wanted to “roll the dice” and take his chances with either a conviction or an acquittal. “You told me the dice were not loaded,” he toldHendricks.Deputy Prosecutor David H. Williams said during closing arguments Monday that Reed shot Landrum during a “drug ripoff in which 60 pounds of marijuana, a quantity of cocaine and a large amount ofmoney was stolen.Williams’ key witnesses were Emanuel Thomas and Randolph Williams, who said they were accomplices to the muiders. They were granted immunity from prosecution in return for their testimonyagainst Reed.Harold Craig, one of the defense attorneys, indicated that Thomas and Williams were the real killers, but had been granted immunity.Reed testified that he did not kill Landrum and Miss Margrave.'
Newspaper Details
Benton Courier
Benton, Arkansas, US
Wed, Apr 04, 1979
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Suzan W.
OH, USA 17 Jun 2019
Other Publications Near Benton, Arkansas
Benton Courier
