They made a gruesome discovery in a Target parking lot
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Jack Reed, a 57-year-old truck driver, went missing after a trash disposal job on June 27, 2005.
- ❖His body was discovered six days later, on July 5th, in his red and black dump truck parked in a Target lot in Saugus, Massachusetts.
- ❖The autopsy revealed Jack suffered severe blunt force trauma, including broken ribs, skull fractures, and a softball-sized hole in his head, indicating a personal and brutal attack.
- ❖Security footage showed two individuals abandoning Jack's truck and leaving in a white minivan on June 27th, suggesting multiple perpetrators.
- ❖Jack's daughter, Megan, and her boyfriend, Walter, were initially suspects due to conflicting alibis and being seen near the Target lot on July 4th.
- ❖A scribbled note in Jack's log book led police to 'Charlie' at 145 North Road, which was owned by Michael Connors.
- ❖The prepaid phone used to contact Jack was linked to a call made to John Brooks, a self-made millionaire and former client of Jack's.
- ❖John Brooks orchestrated Jack's murder, believing Jack had stolen motorcycles and jewelry during a moving job years prior, despite no evidence.
- ❖The murder took place at Michael Connors' barn, with Connors allowing its use as a favor to Brooks, his friend and business partner.
- ❖Five individuals were convicted: John Brooks (mastermind), his son Jesse Brooks, Michael Benton, Joseph Vroomman, and Robin Knight.
Insights
1Discovery of Jack Reed's Body
Detective Mike Hul located Jack Reed's red and black dump truck in a Target parking lot in Saugus, Massachusetts, 40 miles from Derry. A foul smell and buzzing flies led him to discover Jack's body, wrapped in plastic under a tarp in the truck bed.
Hul found the truck by a tip from a missing person poster. He observed flies and a rotten smell, then cut through a tarp and plastic to find the body.
2Autopsy Reveals Brutal Violence
The autopsy report detailed Jack Reed's severe injuries, including broken ribs, skull fractures, and a large hole in his head, indicating a highly personal and violent murder. His face was so disfigured that dental records were needed for identification.
The Massachusetts Medical Examiner's report described 'severely beaten,' 'broken ribs, skull fractures, and a softball-sized hole in the side of his head.'
3Security Footage Contradicts Alibis
Target security footage from June 27th showed Jack's dump truck arriving, followed by a white minivan. Two unidentified individuals exited the truck, secured the tarp over the body, and left in the minivan. This contradicted Megan and Walter's claims of seeing Jack alive that night.
Footage from p.m. on June 27th showed 'Jack's dump truck pulling into the parking lot, followed closely by a white minivan. After Jack's truck parked, two people got out of the truck... dumping Jack's body.'
4The 'Charlie' Lead and Prepaid Phone
Jack's log book contained a rushed entry for 'Charlie' at '145 North Road.' Phone records showed Jack received calls from an unknown prepaid phone number on June 27th. This phone was activated just 8 days before the murder and only called Jack's number, except for one other contact.
Jack's log book had an entry: '145 North Road, no town listed, and the name was just Charlie.' () Jack received calls from a prepaid phone registered to 'Charlie W.' () The phone was activated on June 19th and used only for Jack, except for one other number.
5John Brooks: The Mastermind
The single other number called by the prepaid 'Charlie' phone belonged to John Brooks, a self-made millionaire. Brooks orchestrated Jack's murder out of revenge, believing Jack had stolen from him years earlier during a moving job, an accusation for which there was no evidence.
The prepaid phone's call records showed 'every single call... was to Jack's number, except for one.' () That one other number led to John Brooks, 'the very same self-made Las Vegas millionaire that Jack Reed himself had viewed as this big success story.' () Brooks believed Jack had 'stolen some of his motorcycles and jewelry.'
6The Murder Scene and Accomplices
Jack was lured to Michael Connors' barn at 145 North Road under the pretense of a job. Four individuals ambushed him: Brooks's son Jesse, Michael Benton, Joseph Vroomman, and Robin Knight. Jack was brutally beaten with a hammer, and his body was wrapped in plastic before being transported in his own dump truck.
Jack's dump truck pulled into 145 North Road. () 'Two of Jack's killers were inside of that house waiting for him.' () 'Inside Jack would have seen there were two more people waiting for him.' () 'The nervous killer leapt forward and tackled Jack to the ground.' () An accomplice used a 'hammer that was now dripping with blood.' () The four killers 'worked together to wrap Jack's body in the plastic.' () The killers were identified as John Brooks, Jesse Brooks, Michael Benton, Joseph Vroomman, and Robin Knight.
Lessons
- Maintain detailed records of all business interactions and client information, including names, addresses, and phone numbers, as these can be critical in investigations.
- Be cautious when accepting jobs from unknown or new clients, especially those who insist on using untraceable methods like prepaid phones or cash-only payments.
- If you feel threatened or have a past encounter with someone that makes you uneasy, report it to authorities and take steps to enhance your personal security.
Quotes
"He'd grown up in the foster care system with nothing and he'd worked really hard to ensure that his kids were set up for a better life than he had."
"Jack had actually fired his gun at this man who then ran away into the woods and never came back. But Jack had never figured out what the encounter was about."
"Hul was already guessing that this was one, a murder, and two, it was carefully planned, probably by somebody that Jack knew."
"Hul thought this level of violence definitely made this murder feel really personal, and it only made him more confident that Jack's killer or killers was somebody who knew him."
"But to Hul, the only thing he thought when he heard this consistency is that clearly what's happened here is Megan and Walter have rehearsed this story because it is their alibi. But they don't realize there was timestamped security footage that would contradict it."
"The millionaire's name was John Brooks and he believed that when Jack had helped him move, it was a job he had done for him a few years back that Jack during that move had stolen some of his motorcycles and jewelry. Now, there was no evidence to actually back this up, but John Brooks was convinced and he held a grudge."
Q&A
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