William Lewis Reece

Serial Killer

Serial Killer William Lewis Reece

Introduction

William Lewis Reece is an American serial killer and rapist who terrorized Texas and Oklahoma in the 1990s. His crimes were brutal, involving the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of young women. Reece was arrested in 1997, but it took years of investigative work before he was definitively linked to multiple murders. He was sentenced to death in Texas for his crimes.

Crimes and Victims

Reece targeted young women, abducting them before sexually assaulting and murdering them. His known victims include:

• Tiffany Johnston - 19 years old, abducted on July 26, 1997, from a car wash in Bethany, Oklahoma. Her body was found the next day, strangled and sexually assaulted.
• Kelli Cox - 20 years old, disappeared on July 15, 1997, in Denton, Texas. Her remains were found in 2016 in a field in Brazoria County, Texas.
• Jessica Cain - 17 years old, disappeared on August 17, 1997, in La Marque, Texas. Her remains were discovered in 2016 in a field near Houston.
• Laura Smither - 12 years old, abducted on April 3, 1997, while jogging in Friendswood, Texas. Her remains were found in a retention pond 17 days later.

Investigation and Arrest

Reece was initially arrested in 1997 for the kidnapping and attempted murder of Sandra Sapaugh in Webster, Texas. Sapaugh managed to escape by jumping out of his truck while it was moving. This led to Reece’s arrest and a subsequent conviction for kidnapping. While serving time, DNA evidence and new investigations connected Reece to the murders of Tiffany Johnston and other victims. In 2015, he confessed to multiple murders in exchange for being transferred from Oklahoma to Texas, where he eventually received a death sentence. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Laura Smither Age: (12), Date of Death: 1997-04-03

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William Lewis Reece - Wikipedia

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