Bio

Donald E. Reese was born on May 7, 1943. He grew up in Missouri. As a young man, Reese was involved in various activities typical for someone his age. He attended school and eventually got a high school equivalency diploma. He faced difficulties in his personal life, which some reports suggest affected his mental health. His life took a turn when he became more involved with firearms, which eventually played a role in his later actions.

Reese was known to have had issues with the law before his more serious offenses. However, the exact nature and context of these earlier troubles are not clear from the available information. Over time, Reese's life experiences seemed to lead him down a path that resulted in significant legal consequences.

Murder Story

On September 9, 1986, four men were murdered at the Marshall Junction Wildlife Area shooting range in Saline County, Missouri. The victims were James Watson, John Burford, John Vanderlinden, and Christopher Griffith. A Pettis County Deputy Sheriff was investigating the area when he discovered Watson's body on the ground. The deputy proceeded to search the vicinity and found the bodies of Burford and Vanderlinden in a parked car. Both had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Following a further investigation, officers found Griffith's body nearby, which also showed multiple gunshot wounds.

Authorities found spent .30 caliber shell casings on the scene. After reviewing the evidence, police connected the crime to Donald E. Reese, who had purchased similar ammunition from a local store. When questioned on September 14, 1986, Reese admitted to having sold a .30 caliber rifle recently and mentioned he had been to the shooting range shortly before the murders.

Six days after the crimes, on September 15, 1986, police arrested Reese. During the interrogation, he initially denied his involvement but confessed later that evening. He led officers to where he had hidden the victims' belongings and the murder weapon. The shell casings and bullets collected matched the ammunition found in Reese's possession.

Reese faced two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Watson and Griffith. After a three-day trial in March 1988, he was convicted and sentenced to death for one murder, while the other count resulted in a life imprisonment without parole. Despite multiple appeals and motions for relief, his death sentence was upheld by various courts. Reese was executed by lethal injection on August 13, 1997.