In the quiet early morning hours of October 3, 2020, a night that began with carefree bowling with friends took a tragic and violent turn for 21-year-old Chase Reel. A student at the University of Arkansas's Sam M. Walton College of Business and a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Chase was a young man from Russellville known for his bright smile and warm heart.
He was the kind of person who would put himself in the middle of things to do what was right, a trait that would tragically seal his fate.
Upon returning to his Fayetteville home, Chase and his roommate, Jacob Hogue, walked into a nightmare already in progress. An intruder, later identified as 26-year-old Travis Trustin, was burglarizing their residence. Hogue was the first to encounter Trustin and was quickly held at gunpoint. The tense standoff stretched on for approximately 30 minutes before Chase arrived home. Seeing the terrifying scene unfolding, Chase's instinct was to protect his friend. He made his way to his bedroom to retrieve a rifle, a decision that proved fatal. Trustin, using a pistol he had found inside the home, fired a single shot that ended Chase Reel's life.
The senseless act of violence sent shockwaves through the University of Arkansas community and his hometown. Friends and family remembered Chase as a brave young man who valued brotherhood and was a joy to be around. He was described as someone who lit up any room he entered and had a passion for helping others, having participated in mission trips to Mexico to build houses for the homeless. In the wake of his death, those who knew him grappled with the loss of a life so full of promise, cut short by a senseless act.
Travis Trustin, a man with a history of criminal activity, was swiftly apprehended and charged with capital murder, aggravated residential burglary, and kidnapping. At the time of the murder, he already had three other cases pending against him and had been arrested multiple times since turning 18. In a subsequent court hearing, the chilling details of the home invasion were laid out. It was revealed that neither Chase nor his roommate had ever met their attacker before that fateful night. Ultimately, Travis Trustin pleaded guilty to the murder of Chase Reel and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
