Did a father use his 6-year-old son as an alibi for murder?

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Reginald Reed Jr., known arsenic Reggie, spent much than 2 decades wondering who killed his mother, Selonia Reed, erstwhile helium was lone 6 years old. Selonia, a slope teller, was 26 erstwhile her assemblage was recovered successful her car successful Hammond, Louisiana.

One of the past memories Reggie has of that time is his parent buying him a cocoa spot cooky astatine the Hammond Square Mall. He besides remembers her kissing him goodbye but everything other is simply a blur.

"48 Hours" and contributor Vladimir Duthiers analyse what happened successful the decades that followed in "The Day My Mother Never Came Home." An encore of the occurrence airs Saturday, June 27 astatine 10/9c* connected CBS and streaming connected Paramount+. (Following the WNBA connected CBS).

It was a blistery summertime time successful August 1987 erstwhile Selonia's assemblage was recovered wrong her bluish Chevy Sprint successful a parking country astir one-and-a-half miles from the Reed home. Police said she had been bludgeoned, stabbed aggregate times and stripped naked. It was clear, constabulary said, that she was sexually assaulted.

Selonia's hubby Reginald Reed Sr. had reported her missing an hr oregon truthful earlier her assemblage was found. Reginald told constabulary connected the greeting of Aug. 23, 1987, that Selonia told him she was going retired with a woman the nighttime before. That woman aboriginal told constabulary the 2 had "no plans" to spell retired that night, but Reginald stuck to his story.

As the probe unfolded, constabulary learned that Selonia had told relatives that Reginald was physically abusive and had talked astir getting a divorce. He became an aboriginal suspect, but nary of that suspicion reached the ears of Reggie, who was lone a child.

Reggie was questioned by constabulary aft they received support from his father. The constabulary videotaped Reggie's interrogation with a constabulary detective portion his begetter sat adjacent to him. He vouched for his father's mentation of events, saying the 2 of them spent the evening playing video games and sleeping successful the aforesaid sofa bed. In effect, Reggie became his father's alibi. Years later, Reggie viewed that interrogation and became affectional erstwhile helium saw his 6-year-old aforesaid crying that helium wanted his "mommy" and "daddy."

"I conscionable can't ideate what it's similar arsenic a 6-year-old to person to beryllium there," said Duthiers.

"Looking astatine that, it's inactive hard to judge that that's me," said Reggie. "Watching that video conscionable brings backmost truthful … truthful galore questions and — and symptom due to the fact that … I spot maine crying."

Reggie wrote a memoir astir his experiences titled, "The Day My Mother Never Came Home."

Reggie had nary thought that his begetter was the premier fishy successful the lawsuit until 25 years aboriginal successful 2012 erstwhile a Texas Ranger showed up astatine his home. By then, Reggie was 31, had graduated assemblage and was moving for a pharmaceutical institution adjacent San Antonio.

"I was like, where's this coming from?" Reggie told "48 Hours." "I retrieve asking, is determination immoderate caller grounds that was surfaced?"

But implicit the adjacent fewer years, the caller pb researcher successful the case, Lt. Barry Ward of the Louisiana State Police, was capable to travel up with caller evidence. Eventually, it was capable that Reginald and an alleged accomplice were indicted for second-degree murder.

The accomplice, a person of Reginald named Jimmy Ray Barnes, agreed to attest against Reginald successful speech for a five-year situation sentence. In November 2022, Reginald Reed Sr. was recovered blameworthy of second-degree execution for sidesplitting Selonia Reed and was aboriginal sentenced to beingness successful prison.

Ward told Reggie that constabulary judge Reginald apt murdered Selonia successful their chamber portion Reggie slept. Detectives judge helium past placed her assemblage successful her car and drove to the spot wherever it was found. Reginald's co-conspirator Jimmy Ray Barnes testified astatine proceedings that helium met Reginald astatine the transgression country and saw Reginald successful that car adjacent to Selonia's body.

To this day, Reggie continues to question his father's guilt.

"I privation justice, but I didn't deliberation justness was gonna travel astatine the terms of my dada going to situation for life," Reggie told Duthiers who asked: "Do you judge that your begetter murdered your mother?"

"I don't cognize … different question — bash I deliberation my dada had immoderate involvement? Maybe. I don't cognize though. I don't know. So that's wherever I'm just, it's similar a tug-of-war game."

Reggie said helium struggles to quadrate what the authorities claims with the begetter helium knew. Reggie appreciates that his begetter was loving to him, enactment him done backstage schoolhouse and raised him to beryllium the antheral helium is today.

"Just knowing the benignant of begetter helium is," Reggie said. "I can't conscionable crook a leafage and conscionable look astatine my begetter arsenic a implicit monster."

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