The Driveway Feud That Ended in Double Murder

Hi, crime junkies. I'm your host, Ashley. Flowers. >> And I'm Brit. >> And the story I have for you today is my. [music] eenth reason to stay out of. Washington. This twisty and gut-wrenching tale. includes a double murder, a historic. [music] landslide, a trail of evidence, and a manhunt to Mexico. And listen. closely, because in this story, there. are two central themes. Details matter, and the truth never dies. This is the. story of Patrick Shun [music] and.

Monnique Patnot. Snowomish County Major Crimes Detective. Dave Fontineau walks into his office in. Everett, Washington on April 13th, 2016. with plans to drop his stuff and go home. and rest. He and the rest of the. homicide squad had just wrapped up about. 40 hours of work at a murder scene and. they were beyond tired. But before he. can walk out the door, a notice lands in. his hands from the patrol unit about a.

missing couple up in the Oso area. That's about 45 minutes northeast. The. notice says it's a missing husband and. wife who were last seen the day before. Their cars are missing. No one can get a. hold of them and there is no activity. [music] on their socials. Is this report. just coming in or is this just like the. official handoff to major crimes here? >> That's the latter. So the report. actually came in the day before. So day. one of this case started April 12th. That's when the first call about the. missing couple came into Snowomish.

County 911 dispatch. [music] And that. actually came from the couple's neighbor. friends, Mike and his wife Suzanne. Basically, the reason he called, the. four of them were supposed to go to an. Iron Maiden concert on the night of the. 11th, but Patrick and Mo'Nique were a. no-show. Red flag number one. Now, Mike. had gone to their house to see what was. up. Sees their beloved dog, Cairo, running loose. Red flag number two, which is what prompted Mike to call. Patrick's work on the 12th, and they. told him that Patrick was a no-show at. the office. >> Another red flag. >> Yeah, that's when he calls police. So,

patrol deputies had gone up there to do. a welfare check. They get Mike's. official statement and they see that the. couple's cars are still missing, which. I'm sure to a lot of people would give. the impression that everything's fine. They'd be like, "Oh, they just like went. somewhere. >> They're just not here.". >> Yeah. But Mike can just like feel. whatever this is in his bone. So much so. that he told the deputy he actually. grabbed the SD card out of Patrick's. trail camera and he was going to check. it himself to see like when they were. last on it cuz it's kind of like near. the entrance of their long driveway. But.

he's like, "You know what? Since police. are here, like here, I'll just give it. to you guys." And the conviction in his. voice, his actions, like that's being. picked up on by patrol deputies [music]. who then passed this notice off to. Detective Dave Fontineau in major crimes. on day two. and the official criminal. investigation kicks off. Now, his first. move is to put in expedited requests for. their cell phone data, which comes back. pretty fast. It shows that Patrick and. Mon'nique's phones both stopped. transmitting at 8:32 a.m. on April 12th.

But the activity before that is odd. Now, most of the activity from the 11th. looks normal. It has Mo'Nique kind of. out and about running errands. Patrick. is placed at work. Mon'nique's phone. shows that she arrived home to where. their driveway gate was at 11:04 a.m. And then Patrick's phone shows him. arriving home at that same spot at 3:07. p.m. Now, their phones don't seem to. move for a long time, as if they are. home. But remember, the 11th is when. they're supposed to go to that concert.

And Mike said that he actually went over. to the house on the 11th at about 4:30. p.m. Their card's already gone then. So, if they both arrived home earlier that. day, where are they? >> Mhm. The next activity Detective Fontau. [music] sees on the phone data is at. 3:26 a.m. when both of their phones. travel up an old logging road. And then. they both stop transmitting 5 hours. later at 8:32 a.m. Now, the 3:26 a.m. time is strange in and of itself, right? Like, where are you going? Why are you.

going up this logging road in the middle. of the night? It's super weird. >> Yeah. >> But where this road is is like the. weirdest part of all. You see, two years. before this, Oso, Washington was home to. one of the deadliest landslides in. American history. I mean, some 40 houses. got buried and 43 people died. Patrick. and Mo'Nique's house was spared, but. barely. I mean, the aerial photos of. this landslide are bonkers. It took out. an entire mountainside along with houses.

and roads and so much of it poured into. the North Fork Stillwamish River that. the whole river damned and caused even. more houses to flood. I mean, this was a. huge tragic mess that ended up in FEMA. like basically having to buy out much of. the properties. So, all that to say, where their phones were traveling was. like even higher up the mountain than. where this landslide had been. There is. nothing there. Certainly not at 3:00 or. 3:30 in the morning. >> And were the phones in that same.

location when they stopped transmitting. at like what 8:30ish? >> Same general area. Now, another super. weird thing about the phone activity is. that friends and family are telling. detectives that the messages that. they've been sending to Patrick and. Mo'Nique on the 11th, like between the. time they got home to them moving up the. mountains at 3:30, those were all. getting actively read. Like they can. tell from read receipts, No one's. opening the phone and seeing the. messages. >> Yeah. They just don't think that it's. Patrick and Mo'Nique because no one's.

responding and the read receipts stopped. completely that morning at around the. same time that the phones just totally. stopped transmitting. So, it would seem. that something happened to them after. they got home. if they were in fact the. ones in possessions of their phone when. they got home to begin with. >> That SD card from the trail camera that. Mike took could come in real handy now. Except when they look at the files, the. card was completely full. So, it had. stopped recording before all of this.

[laughter]. >> Ashley, >> it's like how. >> I had gotten my hopes up. I thought. maybe we could like trust trail cams. more than like business. say I have no. no faith in business surveillance, but. like. >> but like this like I felt. >> even the trail cam. >> I'm once again I'm disappointed. >> Upgrade your SD card gigabytes to those. trail cam people like need it. >> So yeah, this could have shown if it was. them, who they were with, when and where. they got home. All of that is stuff they. need to know. It's going to be. important. But [music] first things. first, they need to try and find Patrick.

and Mo'Nique. And the best place to. start is where the phones were pinging. on the morning of the 12th. By day three. of the investigation, this is now April. 14th, major crimes detectives are pretty. sure they're dealing with foul play, and. they put eagle-eyed searchers up in a. helicopter. And when I say eagle-eyed, like just you wait, I'm going to be. testing your eyesight in a minute. And. while they're up in the air, detectives. work to search the wooded area on the. ground while they wait for their search. warrant on the house to go through that. And Brett, this terrain is wild. And I.

mean that in the literal sense of the. word. I mean, yeah. I'm picturing. western Washington, like mountains, rivers, woods, beautiful, but like. really vast, really dangerous scenery. >> Yeah, it is rugged on the ground. There's like also huge canopies of trees. up above from the sky, like covering all. of that. Plus, remember, add the whole. OSO landslide debris stuff on top of. this. I actually have some footage if. you want to take a look at it over here.

That's from Snowhawk 1's camera for. those listening. And I'm going to have. this up on the website as well. >> Oh, wait. That looks like a car. >> Yeah. So, that's their first sighting of. Patrick's missing Land Rover. Once the. Heli folks radio major crimes, they get. out there on foot, but it's a struggle. just to get down to where the car is. because it's a steep treed hillside and. the Land Rover is fully like nose down. 90° and it's stuck on a stump. It's. immediately clear that someone tried to.

cover the car up with like brush and. debris. Also, a camouflage tarp. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. And guess what else they see below. the car? Exactly 268 ft further down is. Mon'nique's Jeep laying on its side. So, both cars look as though someone pushed. them over the upper cliff's edge and. just like let them tumble down like a. game of Hot Wheels or dominoes or. something. But Patrick's car, the Land. Rover, that's the one that got stuck on. the stump. So, interestingly, there is. this wooden 4x4 post weirdly positioned,

but it looks like someone was trying to. like use it as a jack to get the car. unstuck from the stump that it's. dangling from. Oh my god. I mean, this. scene is obviously no good, but I'm I'm. kind of bracing myself for what they're. going to find inside the cars. What. detectives are bracing themselves, too, but what they find is not what they or. you probably expected. >> [music].

>> Detectives run out of daylight, so the. cars don't get processed until the next. day. [music] On day four of the. investigation, detectives on the ground. are expecting that when they open the. doors of the Land Rover that they're. going to find the bodies of Patrick and. Mo'Nique, but they don't. Instead, they. just find loads of suspicious items that. just adds [music] to the mystery of what.

could have happened to them. I mean, in. Patrick's car, there's rope, plastic. sheeting, tarps, some towels, and blood in the back of the rover. and. fallen out near Mo'Nique's Jeep. They. find her wallet with her driver's. license, a bag of dog food, a bag of. chicken feed, a roll of unopened paper. towels, some black plastic gloves, cables, a McDonald's receipt dated for. April 11th at 10:41 a.m. They also find.

some spent shell casings and a shopping. list that's covered in blood. Now, all. of that stuff that fell out of her car. actually matches the shopping list and. her phone activity because one of the. errands that she was going to run was to. a co-op grocery store where she bought. all that food for her animals. And the. McDonald's receipt lines up, too, which. all that stuff still being in her car. means like she likely never made it back. inside her house after arriving like on. back on the property at home, >> right? But to be triple sure, they even.

send someone out to the McDonald's just. to check the security footage to make. sure that it actually was her who was. there. Make sure that she was alone. And. when they look, sure enough, it's her in. the drive-thru with her dog, Cairo, in. the passenger seat at the same exact. time and date as the receipt [music] and. matching what the cell phone data shows. So, with all of this evidence, especially the blood in the shell. casings, [music] detectives are now. certain that whatever happened to. Patrick and Mo'Nique, they probably.

didn't make it out alive. As the car. scenes are being processed, neighbor and. family interviews are also happening. And this theme begins [music] to emerge. There is one name that almost everyone. mentions when asked the age-old. question, "Can you think of anyone who. would want to hurt Patrick and. Mon'nique?" John Reed. >> Who? John is Patrick and Mo'Nique's. neighbor and there is a nasty dispute. going on between them. Patrick and. Mo'Nique had accused Jon of trespassing.

and essentially being a bad steward of. the land. And again, the theme of this. episode is landslide. So John's property. is one parcel closer to where the. landslide destruction was. His house was. barely missed. So he had been using a. road easement that was more or less. Patrick and Mo'Nique's driveway. But. here's the thing. John actually took a. massive payout from FEMA to allow. authorities to seize his house and. property. And part of that deal meant. that Jon had to move out and he wasn't.

allowed to access that property anymore. without a government official present. But he was still like coming and going. as if he still lived there. Basically. squatting on a property that was no. longer his. And Patrick and Mo'Nique. accused him of illegally cutting down. trees and like all of this other stuff. that they didn't like. The dispute had. even escalated to each party calling the. cops on each other in the past. So, this. little neighbor spat had gotten pretty. ugly. >> And has their relationship with John. like been rocky the whole time they've.

been neighbors? >> I mean, it like off and on for like a. few years, but uh Patrick's niece Aaron. told us that there was a time after the. landslide when Patrick felt like sorry. for John. I mean, he like the guy lost. like his property. He showed Patrick. showed him a lot of compassion, giving. him permission to use their driveway. gate, all of that. But then it reached a. point where he felt as if John was. abusing their kindness. And Patrick and. Mo'Nique ended up putting locks on their. gate. And then that's why they actually. put up the trail camera because by that. time they were like, "This is it. We.

need evidence of him trespassing so we. can sue [music] this guy." So I mean, leading up to this, things had hit a. boiling point. And when I say boiling. point, I want to make it clear. None of. Patrick and Mon'nique's relatives are. like, "Oh, John definitely murdered. them." It's more like, you know, they. had zero enemies except for this one. neighbor. >> Yeah. This one guy who seemed to hate. their guts. But everything is now like. starting to click into place for. detectives. [music]. All the stories are merging into one. >> because remember neighbor Mike who.

reported them missing? Yeah. So his wife. Suzanne told detectives that on April. 13th, so this is going on 2 days with no. sightings of their friends. She had gone. over there to check [music] on things. And as she's approaching the gate, she. sees John Reed in his red pickup truck. exiting the gate. And John's brother. Tony is with him. Now Suzanne doesn't. know Tony, but he's wearing a hoodie. with the hood like pulled up. He's like. wearing sunglasses. Like let's just say. the vibes were off. And Suzanne stops to.

talk to John and she glances in the back. of his truck and she sees in the back. are some cables and a 4x4 wooden post. And based on Suzanne's description of. these things, they are a perfect match. for the items found by the vehicles up. on the mountain. And not even knowing. any of that at the time that Suzanne is. like talking to them and seeing this, she is already so suspicious of John. that she actually rolled some video on. her phone during this interaction just. in case something went down.

>> That is such a crime junkie move. >> I know. Like props to the girlies out. there who are basically citizen. detectives. So this is enough for. detective Fontino to do some John Reed. homework. He runs a background check on. John and sees that he actually is a. convicted felon, but not for anything. violent, for an old felony marijuana. conviction. But brother Tony also a. convicted felon. And his past is. violent. So this is when police roll. over to John's house.

>> John's house that he doesn't technically. own anymore where he's not really. supposed to be. >> Correct. [music] And at least in that. moment, he is following the rules. He. and Tony are nowhere to be found. >> Okay. So, while they figure out how to. track them down, they start knocking on. doors of other neighbors to ask if. anyone had any information or security. footage. And oh boy, does this pay off. Police obtain video from two different. houses that are on the road that goes. above the landslide. And one of them,

which actually you can see here, that shows Patrick's Land Rover followed. by Mon'nique's Jeep driving up the road, one right after the other on April 12th. at 3:31 a.m. It is the exact route and. timestamps as the cell phone data. Now, the other video shows John Reed's red. truck taking [music] the same route. nearly 6 hours later at 9:21 a.m. And.

sticking out of the back of his truck is. that 4x4 wooden post. Detective. Fontineau told our reporter Emily Mureer. that at least for him, these videos were. the evidence that changed everything. I. mean, in his words, from that moment. forward, the hunt for Jon and Tony Reed. was quote, "On like Donkey Kong," is. what he told her. Now they have enough. to serve search warrants at John's house. or his former property. And even more. physical evidence is found there. Shell. casings, plastic sheeting, a camo tarp,

guns, more 4x4 posts, zip ties in the. closet. I mean, there's blood in the. bathtub. And that's just evidence that. was collected from inside. by his. garage. They find a trash barrel that is. full of clothes, not burnt, just soaking. in diesel fuel. And they find not one. but two secret underground bunkers. >> Um, I think the only thing worse than. finding one secret underground bunker. >> is a second one.

>> is finding two secret underground. bunkers. And listen, he said that like. each time they were like stumbling. across these because like they weren't. expecting to find them. >> They're literally thinking like, "Oh my. god, we're going to find Patrick and. Mon'nique either like tied up and. bleeding and injured or worse.". >> But just like the cars, both of the. bunkers are empty. Basically, Detective. Fontino told us he thinks that those. were actually just former grow rooms for. John's marijuana operations. But. anyways, they collect everything. They.

send it off to the crime lab and bolos. are officially issued for John and Tony. Reid. The US Marshall Service also. sticks some agents on John and Tony's. parents' house in Ellensburg, Washington. to do surveillance just in case they. showed up there. >> And do they find anything suspicious. inside Patrick and Mon'nique's house? >> No, not really. So, their house is like. kind of immaculate. There's no signs of. a struggle. And detectives even had. relatives come look around to see if. anything looked out of place or were. missing or whatever. And interestingly,

there were only two things that they. could note. One, they said Patrick's. computer was missing. And like the other. one is so small. They said that the. wrong cat bowl was out. >> What What exactly does that mean? The. the wrong cat bowl. >> Um they said that there was like a. certain cat bowl that Patrick and. Mo'Nique used for like their cat with. like food or whatever, and like the one. that was sitting out. >> was not it. >> Yeah. I mean, it must have been so. distinct that all of them knew or. whatever. Yeah. >> And it's so interesting because this is. one of the things that Detective. Fontineau admitted to us. He's like, I.

kind of just dismissed this as nothing. at the time, but it becomes a learning. moment for him later on because that. different couple it was a clue. >> The details matter. >> The details matter. Now, it's not until. day five, April 16th, that detectives. get word from those agents who are on. the stakeout at Jon and Tony's parents. house. But on day five, they've spotted. Jon's red truck in the garage. Snowomish. County detectives drop everything. They. drive the three hours away to Ellensburg. to serve search warrants on the parents.

house and on Jon's truck. They didn't. get there quick enough to intercept Jon. or Tony. Like they are already gone by. then. And their parents, Clyde and Fay, are pretty unhelpful. They're basically. like, "Yep, our sons were here, but. we're not going to tell you where they. went.". >> Oh, cool. Great. Yeah. Uh, not at all. concerning. So, in the garage, they find. more tarps, more plastic sheeting that. match everything found at the crime.

scene. And inside John's truck, detectives find a small spot of what. looks like blood near the passenger side. door. Now, this is tiny compared to the. blood that they found in Patrick's Land. Rover, but it still gets swapped. anyways. And they also find some recent. US bank receipts for like big cash outs. and a 7-Eleven receipt from Arlington, Washington dated on April 11th, just. before midnight. [music]. And that just before midnight, that's. like square in the missing time frame we.

have for Mon'nique and Patrick. Right. So detectives decide to take this. They. go to the 7-Eleven and sure enough on. surveillance video that was working. Praise be. They actually see John and. Tony buying energy drinks and chips at. midnight wearing guess what? The clothes. that were found at John's in that barrel. soaking in diesel fuel. >> So, the evidence is just piling up. against these guys. >> Yeah. And they just keep collecting more. and more. Searchers find Mon'nique's. keys and glasses like 7 miles away from.

where the cars were dumped. [music] And. they now have help of a cadaavver dog. who finds Patrick's jacket which is. covered in blood. So 5 days in, they've. basically solved their case and. Detective Fontineau and his team go. ahead and make their case to the. prosecutor to get arrest warrants issued. [music] for John and Tony Reed for a. nobody homicide. But now the manhunt. begins. Abolo got put out on their mom's. car, which is the only car that was. missing from their house when Jon left.

his truck. And they get cell phone data. for Jon and Tony. Both investigative. avenues are fruitful. Not only do they. get a hit on FA's license plate, but. cell mapping is showing exactly where. the Fugitive Brothers are when they go. looking for them on day five, and it's. nowhere near Washington. By April 16th, the Reed brothers have made it all the. way to Phoenix, Arizona. That is a solid. 20our drive. But before cops can descend. on them down south, their phones just go.

dark and they are just completely off. the grid. Now all authorities can do is. hope for a sighting or another license. plate catch or for the brothers phones. to come back online or something even. better. And [music] something even. better happens on day 35. in miday. A call comes in from an. attorney in Ellensburg, Washington. He. says that he's calling on behalf of his.

client Tony Reed. and Tony wants to turn. himself in on one condition. They must. agree to take the death penalty off the. table. Now, the thing is the death. penalty hasn't even been discussed. because back then there was a moratorum. on executions in the state of. Washington. And while the Snomish County. prosecutor technically could have called. for the death penalty or charge and. whatever or ask for it, they had no.

plans to bring any capital charges. during the moratorum. But like whatever, detectives just see this as an. opportunity. So they're like, >> "Deal of a century. Yeah, happy to. agree." And they do that so they can. arrest and interrogate Tony. >> So deal gets done. And on May 16th, again, same day, day 35 of their case, detectives [music]. fly down to the Mexico San Diego border. and Tony surrenders to Washington. authorities. They get him back to. Washington. And by May 22nd, day 40 of.

this [music] saga, Tony's ready to talk. Now, he says he didn't kill them. His. brother did, but he did try to help his. brother cover his tracks. He said that uh he shot those people and. uh he told me it was self-defense. He said that the. that they. that they came down that they came to. the gate with the gun and that he. started wrestling with one of them and.

the gun went off. >> Tony says that he's been in Mexico this. whole time, but John suggested that he. go home and surrender. He's he's he's. the one that talked me into turning. myself in because if something was to. happen to me over this, he would not be. able to live with himself. Detectives. asked Tony [music] to walk them through. exactly what happened. And he does. Tony. says that his brother John killed. Patrick and Monnique on April 11th and.

that John basically called him to help. get rid of the cars and the bodies. >> What does he tell you? What's the plan? >> We're going to take the cars up and dump. them. Okay. Did you stop and look in the. cars? >> That at that first time? >> No. >> Okay. When's the first time you saw the. bodies? >> When I got in the car to drive away. >> Okay. Which car did you drive? >> Black and white one. >> So, you drove a Jeep. And where was she? Uh or who was in that car?

>> She was. >> Okay. Describe that for me. Had to be. had to be pretty. >> It was bruises inside. >> Yeah. I covered it up with black plastic. cuz I didn't want to look at it. >> As Tony goes on to describe how they. tried to cover their tracks, all the. little puzzle pieces that detectives had. been getting, the ones that made sense. and even the ones that didn't, they. start coming together. He says that they. noticed a trail camera on a tree at the. gate, which is right where John killed. Patrick and Mo'Nique. So, I'm sure he.

was like, "Oh crap, like my crimes might. be on [music] video." So, they ended up. taking the trail cam, not realizing that. the SD card was [music] missing. And. Tony says that John goes inside Patrick. and Mon'nique's house to take Patrick's. computer, thinking that the trail cam. footage might like automatically upload. straight to it. But before John left, after he took the computer, he stopped. to feed Patrick and Mo'Nique's cat. >> with the wrong cat bowl. Their cat was.

apparently like meowing and just seemed. very hungry. So Tony says that John. stops their murder cover up efforts to. feed the victim's cat. And I don't even. know what to make of that. After [music]. that, Tony says they drive the victim's. cars up to the OSO landslide road with. the bodies in the backs of the cars and. they find a spot for a grave at the base. of this uprooted tree. >> Did you guys have to dig a hole? >> Yeah. >> Did you bring shovels with you?

>> Yeah. They dispose of the bodies, cover them, and then push the cars over the cliff's. edge and watch them just tumble down. The only issue was that the Land Rover. got caught on that stump [music] and was. kind of like out in the open. So, they. decided to come back later and try to. pry it loose or to cover it better. Tony. says that he and John then walked a. trail back down to John's garage. And. along the way, Patrick and Mon'nique's. phones were just like blowing up with. messages from their friends and family. and Tony's reading them, trying to gauge.

if anyone had called the police yet. >> The read receipts. >> Mhm. But down the trail, Tony decides to. toss the phones into a spring along with. Patrick's wallet. Now, he's telling them. in this interview, cut to one of the. detectives stepping out of the interview. to tell Search and Rescue to go out to. this trail, see if they can recover the. phones from the mud. They're probably. not going to need a whole lot more. evidence, but like anything to. corroborate this confession is going to. be helpful. And sure enough, they are. right where Tony described, soaked in.

mud right next to Patrick's wallet. Now, back in the interview room, Tony is. still yapping away. He says they. destroyed and tossed Patrick's computer. and trail camera out in the woods, which. searchers later find as well. And after, he says they get back down to John's. garage and toss their blood soaked. clothes in a burn barrel and just like. douse them in fuel. Why? because they. were supposed to burn them, but they. forgot. Whoops. Stay stupid, criminals.

>> Stay stupid. So, they drive back up to. the cars the next day. They try to like. use that 4x4 as a jack to get the rover. off that stump. But the reason that they. just leave it in there before they. actually do is because they start seeing. helicopters circling above. So, that's. when they like give up. They're like. putting branches the tarp over it. because they're like, "We got to get out. of here." and they know that they've got. to make a run for it. So, they head to. mom and dad's house in Ellensburg to. switch cars, get some cash, [music] and. off to Phoenix they go. Tony says that.

in Phoenix, they meet up with a buddy to. switch cars again, and that's when they. headed to Mexico in that car. Now, when. asked about the murder weapon, he says. they took it to Mexico and he thinks. John still has it. >> You got right across the border with the. gun. >> They don't trust you in Mexico. The only. one that cares about anything is. America. Yeah. So, you're going to be able to. come back with it. >> The one thing that Tony won't [music]. give the cops is his brother's location. But Tony does agree to take law.

enforcement to Patrick and Mon'nique's. bodies. On day 41, Tony gets booked and. charged for first-degree murder, and. investigators start the 2-day process of. recovering Patrick and Mon'nique from. the hole that they were left in about a. mile from the cars under this uprooted. tree. And detectives said that this was. like very emotional for them. I mean, they had been going nonstop for 6 weeks. And along the way, they felt like they'd. really gotten to know Patrick and. Mo'Nique through their loved ones. And. Brett, they sounded like legit the.

coolest couple. They met at Burning Man. They loved their little slice of. paradise on the river where they had a. hobby farm and just like woripped their. animals. And I know I mentioned. Mon'nique was like buying chicken feed. So, they had chickens and roosters. They're not for butchering or eating. Those were Mon'nique's pets. They also. loved fly fishing and hiking and. camping. And they were just like this. very calm and steady presence within. their families. Now, when investigators. find Patrick and Mo'Nique, they're in.

the same grave wearing the same clothes. that they were last seen in. And both. family members that we interviewed for. this episode, that was Mo'Nique's foster. sister, Vi, and Patrick's niece, Aaron. They said the same thing [music] that. after they saw the crime scene photos. that it looked like they were cuddling. when they were found. And while they can. never unsee that image, they said it. actually brought them some peace to know. that they were together till the very. end. Now, word about what they were. finding spreads faster than you can dig.

up two bodies. So, while this. painstaking work was happening, news. choppers were circling. And Brit, if you. look at the aerial news footage from the. scene at this time, it's so interesting. And this is like my favorite behind the. scenes moment of this case. All of the. cameras of like the footage that day, they're all focused on this big blue. tarp with a bunch of huge branches like. laid out in order, smallest to biggest. >> What's that have to do with anything?

>> Absolutely nothing. This was a tactic that Detective Dave. Billy used to make the news camera focus. on something besides the bodies. >> Oh, that is brilliant. Like it looks. important because they're all in order, >> right? It it look like Right. You're. immediately crime like as a crime. junkie. I'd be like, "What does it. mean?" It was like these sticks are. important. They were used in like the. what. >> and they're coming out in like an order. and they're all lined up like. >> I mean it was it was brilliant and it.

worked. I mean, there's a King Five news. story where the close-ups are all of. this tarp and sticks. >> So, do you think the news stations know. that they got duped or are we going to. be the bearer of bad news here? >> Oh, I actually don't I I bet they're. finding out for the first time. [laughter]. So, anyways, like it was again behind. the scenes a little bit. It was so. interesting to me. This works. They're. able to get the bodies out of there, do. the autopsies where it's confirmed that. gunshot wounds are the causes of death. Now, Patrick's single wound to the head.

was fatal and had to have been a. surprise close-range ambush from behind. Now, the medical examiner can't say in. what order Mo'Nique shots came. She had. multiple, three actually, uh, her arm, neck, and head, but the speculation is. that she rolled up to the gate that. morning after running errands with her. groceries, her dog in the car. She came. upon John Reed where there was some sort. of confrontation, and then Jon snapped. Detective Fontineau believes Mo'Nique. was in her car when Jon first pulled out. his gun and that maybe she like put up.

her arm in defense when the first shot. landed. And then again, I don't know. what the order of the other shots, but. he kills her. And then he thinks that. Jon like paced around for a few hours. just waiting for Patrick to get home and. then he shot him in the same spot. Now, since they had locks on the gate, you. had to actually stop your car, put it in. park, get out before you could drive. through. So John must have known that. he'd have the perfect opportunity to. sneak up on Patrick either as he. approached the gate on foot or as he. stopped his car at the gate.

>> And was there blood outside by the gate. or just in the cars? >> Just in the cars. I mean at the gate. there was one lone shell casing left. behind. So investigators think that John. was like laying in weight and then shot. Patrick the moment that he pulled up and. just stopped there or he shot him as he. approached the gate on foot. [music] But. again, there wasn't enough blood to like. see an obvious, like anything obvious in. the dirt. >> But what I will say is that most of. Patrick's blood was found soaked into. that jacket that they found in the woods. and inside the Land Rover. Now, in late.

May, after the autopsies, all they're. still missing for this investigation to. be wrapped up is John Reed. They know. he's likely still in Mexico, so they are. constantly bugging international and. federal authorities to be on the lookout. for him. or the guy's car that they took. from Phoenix to Mexico. They also put up. wanted flyers with his photo in areas. that they think he might be hiding. And. as they wait, they continue just. building their case against both Reed. brothers. By June, they analyze Tony and. John's cell phone data, which actually.

shows Tony was in Ellensburg when. Patrick and Mo'Nique likely died. So, they dropped the murder charges against. Tony, and they just charge him with. assisting in the crime. They also arrest. and charge the Reed parents, Clyde and. Fay, for rendering criminal assistance. [music] because further follow-up. revealed that the elderly couple. actually went to the bank and got. additional cash for their fugitive sons, essentially helping in their escape. As. if like giving them the getaway car. wasn't enough. And about a month later. in July, the final breakthrough comes.

when international authorities call. Detective Fontineau and say, "We have. found John Reed." Detective Fontino said. he was skeptical. He says like, "Send me. a picture of him." And sure enough, this. is the guy that Snomish County cops have. been chasing for, count them, 100 days. now. The authorities in Mexico say they. spotted John's getaway car outside a. barber shop in Puerto Pasco about 62 mi. south of the Arizona border. They'd gone.

to this apartment above the barber shop. where they thought he lived. John wasn't. there, so they leave. And what do you. know? Who is walking right towards them. on the sidewalk outside? >> Stop it. [laughter] Like all this time. he's been like 2 days ahead, just out of. their reach, running on like what seems. like pure luck. >> Yeah. >> And he's just there. >> And he doesn't try to run. Luck is now. on detective sides. He is arrested. He's. taken back to the US, back to. Washington. But unlike his brother Tony,

John's lips are sealed. Does he know his. brother confessed and is like already. arrested and charged and everything? Unclear. We asked Detective Fontau and. he said that again like Jon just refused. to talk. So, it's hard to say what he. did or didn't know at the time. But if. what Tony said was true, it was Jon who. suggested that he turn himself in. So, who knows? But detectives had a mountain. of evidence against him. So John still. gets charged, put behind bars, and. though he's not talking to them, word.

gets out that his defense is going to be. self-defense. >> Okay. How. >> I know what. >> the prosecution knows that all they have. to do, all they have to do, I say it. like it's easy. All they have to do is. prove that Mon'nique and Patrick got. home and died at different times. And if. they can do that, it's going to be so. hard for John to claim that they pulled. guns on him first, >> right? Cuz then it would have had to. have happened like two separate times, >> right? Snomish County digital forensics.

detectives James Hedrickk and Tyler. Quick. They take another look at John. Reed's cell data. And it confirms John. was in Oso on the day of the murders. from at least 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. He. then drives to Ellensburg to pick up his. brother Tony and they arrive back in Oso. at around 3:30 a.m. >> Okay, so so far all of that matches up. with the other evidence, [music]. >> right? They also analyze the health app. data on Mo'nique and Patrick's phones,

which essentially confirms their last. movements alive in a few different ways. They can see on Mo'nique's phone that. the last time the power or like that. home button was pressed was at 11:07. a.m. Patrick's phone, same deal. Last. time those buttons were used was on. April 11th at 3:07 p.m. Then there is no. health app activity again until their. phones start moving up that old logging. road toward the landslide. just before. 3:30 a.m. The health apps also confirmed.

the moment that their phone stopped. working after Tony Reed tossed them into. that spring at 8:30 a.m. on the 12th. And listen, you are never guaranteed a. slam dunk case. But man, like when the. investigation is done right, it is good. to see. Yes, [music] everything is. buttoned up come the spring of 2018 when. Snowomish County presents 43 witnesses. [music] and about 750 exhibits. And as. expected, John claims self-defense.

and even takes the stand. John must not. have known about the state's evidence. showing Mo'Nique and Patrick getting. home separately because his story was. that they both got home and they both. came at him and they pulled guns on him. first. John testified that he shot them. both and considered calling 911, but. says he panicked. He even said if he had. to do it over again, he would call. police. He got destroyed on. cross-examination and ultimately he was.

found guilty of aggravated first-degree. murder for Patrick and seconddegree. murder for Mo'Nique. He remains in. prison in Washington. Now, we did send. him a letter back in September to try. and give him plenty of time to do an. interview or to provide us a statement, but we never heard back. >> So, John's locked up, but what about the. brother? Like, did he or the parents go. to prison, too? [music]. >> They did do some time in the county. jail, but all three are out now. And we. tried reaching them, too, but we didn't. hear back from any of them either.

>> This story is is so bonkers, but like at. the end of the day, I don't really I. don't really get it. Like what made John. >> resort to killing Patrick and Monique? Like I feel like neighbor disputes are. just common. Like they end up worst case. it's like civil court or maybe like. >> Yeah. >> neighbors taking sides, some over the. fence smack talk, whatever. >> What's the difference between your. unhinched neighbor who might yell at you. and your unhinged neighbor who might. kill you? >> Yeah. Like how do you know or like what.

made this time the time that it. escalated to double homicide? Well, I. mean that was something that I kind of. wondered about too. And when we talked. to Detective Fontineau, he told us. basically he thinks this whole thing. came down to like who John Reed was like. his personality and that basically he. got overwhelmed and just snapped. He. says that because of how the homicides. played out, which he calls disorganized. Now, they have zero evidence that Jon. was under the influence when he killed. Patrick and Mo'Nique, which is another. interesting factor because Detective.

Fontau also told us he's like, "Listen, typically homicides boil down to three. things: sex, drugs, money." So, he. called this case atypical. I mean, sure, there were high emotions. There was. animosity between the households, but. what did [music] John gain by killing. them? >> Yeah. Like, that's what I'm trying to. think of. like the hope of not being. sued maybe like making the civil laws. like. >> or were you just so angry like. >> Yeah, it just seems like extreme choices. to avoid kind of small things like civil.

lawsuits. >> But you could have avoided the civil. lawsuits by just like not doing the. thing too, right? Like. >> just like not being in that sort of like. elevated conflict in the first place. >> He seems like an angry man. like where I. get like things had happened to him like. the the you know he lost his property. but you got paid for the property like I. don't know like I just can't it's hard. to like distill and boil down and I like. it's motive for me that's always so. interesting because so many of our cases. I'm like trying to figure out. >> what's the why do you what's like how do.

you protect yourself what do you look. for and like. >> it's hard to pinpoint that here. >> now for Patrick and Mo'Nique's family. seeing John convicted and sent to prison. was a form of justice [music] but like. also it doesn't bring them that nothing. brings them back. Losing them was. extremely difficult and nothing has. replaced the hole that their absence has. created. Vi told us that Mo'Nique used. to cuddle her chickens and her roosters. And when they got sheep, she raised the. babies inside their house, which like as. a farm girl, >> I saw so many animals in your home.

>> And Patrick's niece, Aaron, said that. her uncle was like a father figure to. her. He stepped in to make sure that she. had school clothes when she was little. and he was a huge jokester. She said he. once put um potatoes in her stockings on. Christmas morning just to make her. laugh. After all was said and done, Vi. got a rooster tattoo in honor of. Mo'Nique and Aaron got the truth never. dies tattooed on her collarbone. She. said that throughout the investigation, Detective Fontineau kept telling her.

that and it stuck with her and it's a. reminder that even in a whirlwind 100day. investigation, it pays to never give up. And the tiniest of details that you. gather along the way might be what puts. the killer behind bars. You can find all. the source material for this episode on. our website, crimejunkie.com. >> And you can follow us on Instagram at. crimejunkie [music] podcast. >> We'll be back next week with a brand new. episode. Grime Junkie is an audiochuck. production and I think Chuck would.

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