Trial for man accused of killing New Hampshire couple provides jury with widely different views

CONCORD, N.H. — The murder trial began Tuesday for Logan Clegg, the man accused of killing 67-year-old Stephen and 66-year-old Djeswende Reid.

Twenty-six-year-old Logan Clegg betrayed no emotion in Superior Court in Concord, NH on this first full day of his widely watched double murder trial.

The drifter is accused of the cold-blooded murders of Stephen and Wendy Reid while they were walking a hiking trail near their apartment in April 2022.

A Prosecutor told the jury that Logan Clegg killed the Reids with a 9mm pistol he bought in Vermont.

It was days before the victim’s bodies were found, buried beneath tree branches and leaves.

“After killing Stephen and Wendy, the defendant dragged their bodies off the trail down to the place where he ultimately concealed them,” Sr. Ass’t NH Attorney General Meghan Hagaman said in her opening statement.

At the time of the deaths, Logan Clegg lived in a tent in the woods near the murder scene.

The prosecutor said when investigators first spoke to Clegg, he gave them a fake name, and then later, burned his campsite and left New Hampshire.

The state revealed a surveillance photo of Clegg buying a new tent and sleeping bag at a nearby Walmart.

And the state revealed another image of Clegg, shortly before the murders, leaving a nearby supermarket.

Logan Clegg was ultimately caught in South Burlington Vermont, police say he had a 9mm gun and a one-way ticket to Berlin, Germany.

“After the defendant murdered Stephen and Wendy he tried to run and hide. And when he couldn’t run or hide anymore, he lied,” prosecutor Hagaman told the jury.

Clegg’s defense attorney told the jury he had nothing to do with the Reids murder.

She said Logan was buying a rotisserie chicken when the Reids were killed.

She admitted Clegg gave fake names to investigators and he fled New Hampshire

But she said the reason is, that he was a wanted fugitive from Utah.

“He did not want to be found But it wasn’t because of a murder, it was because of a probation violation,” Defense attorney Caroline Smith told the jury.

After opening statements, the jury was taken on a view of the area where the Reids were killed.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

The first witness will be called on Wednesday.

PREVIEW STORY:

CONCORD, N.H. -- The trial for a man accused of murdering a New Hampshire couple in 2022 is slated to get underway Tuesday in the Granite State’s capital city of Concord.

Logan Clegg, 27, is charged with four counts of second-degree murder, three counts of falsifying physical evidence, and convicted felon, among other offenses in the deaths of 67-year-old Stephen and 66-year-old Djeswende Reid, who were found fatally shot in the area of the Broken Ground Trails in Concord on April 21, 2022, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella and Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood.

Clegg, a homeless man who was also involved in a fatal stabbing in Spokane, Washington, in 2018, was living in the nearby woods at the time of the alleged murders but disappeared after lying to police just before the bodies were discovered, authorities said.

He was first taken into custody in Burlington, Vermont, on an outstanding warrant from Utah stemming from his conviction in a 2020 case in the community of Logan. Police say he broke into a sporting goods store and stole two guns, which were ultimately recovered.

In January 2023, Clegg was indicted in the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende.

The bodies of Stephen and Djeswende were riddled with multiple gunshot wounds, according to investigators.

An investigation showed the Reids left their home in the Alton Woods apartment complex just before 2:30 p.m. on April 18, 2022, and went for a walk nearby. Their walk led them to the Broken Grounds Trails.

The Reids were reported missing by a family member on Wednesday when Stephen did not arrive for a planned event, police said.

The motive for the alleged killings remains unclear.

Clegg has been held without bail since his arrest.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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