On a tragic Saturday morning, June 18, 2022, 28-year-old Jamie Binns of Niles, Michigan, was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in South Bend, Indiana. Another woman, 29-year-old Samantha Lawson, also of Niles, was discovered deceased at the scene as well. The two women were located inside a vehicle in the parking lot of the Laurel Woods Apartments.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to 17-year-old Rease Pence.
According to court documents, Pence had asked Binns for a ride from Niles to the Laurel Woods Apartments. Surveillance video from the apartment complex showed Binns' vehicle arriving shortly before gunshots were fired. Following the gunshots, two individuals were seen exiting the vehicle and leaving the area. Digital evidence from the victims' phones and Pence's iCloud account, which included a search for 'Do latex gloves leave fingerprints,' connected him to the crime. A witness also testified that Pence confessed to shooting both women.
In October 2022, Rease Pence was charged as an adult with two counts of murder and a firearm enhancement. A St. Joseph County jury found the teenager guilty of killing both Jamie Binns and Samantha Lawson in September 2023 after deliberating for less than two hours. Pence, who was 18 at the time of the verdict, was convicted of shooting both women in the back of their heads. He faced a potential sentence of 50 to 150 years in prison for the murders.
