A man who was living in woodland has been convicted of murdering a retired couple who had gone out for a walk.
After deliberating for a day and a half, the jury found Logan Clegg guilty of the second-degree murder of Stephen and Djeswende Reid in April last year.
The 27-year-old now faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on 15 December.
The couple were fatally shot while walking on a trail near their apartment in Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire.
Their bodies, which were found several days later, had been dragged into the woods and covered with leaves, sticks and debris.
Clegg, who gave a false name when police questioned him, later burned his tent, erased information from his computer and bought a bus ticket out of Concord, prosecutors said.
Investigators eventually found and arrested him in South Burlington, Vermont, with a one-way plane ticket to Berlin, Germany, a fake passport, and a gun in his backpack.
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“A liar, a thief, a murderer has been brought to justice today, more importantly forever,” the couple’s son, Brian Reid, said after the verdict.
“Let it be known that the legacy of my parents’ humanitarian work, their kindness, their love for life will endure. Let today be a reminder of the value of human life and the strength of community.”
Joshua Speicher, prosecuting, said: “We’re happy for the families most of all – that there’s some closure here and some accountability.”
Clegg’s lawyers said he left New Hampshire not because he killed the Reids, but because he had been hiding from police after violating his probation on burglary and theft charges in Utah.
He was convicted of all nine counts he faced, including four counts of second-degree murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and four counts of falsifying physical evidence.
The falsifying evidence counts were for moving and concealing the victims’ bodies, burning his tent, and destroying or removing information from his laptop.
Prosecutors said Clegg’s repeated lies, his attempt to flee, and the gun found in his backpack offered a trail of evidence showing he was guilty. But the defence claimed authorities charged the wrong person.
‘Senseless killing’
“The state has proven to you over the past three weeks now that the defendant, and the defendant only, killed Stephen and Wendy,” prosecutor Joshua Speicher said, describing the killing as senseless.
“We have proven this beyond a reasonable doubt. We have proven to you how he did it, when he did it, where he did it.”
Speicher added, “What we don’t know is why. We just don’t know.”
Defence lawyer Mariana Dominguez argued that the state’s case was built on speculation and was full of holes.
She said: “Police investigated, but instead of looking at the science and at the evidence with clear eyes, they speculated. They assumed. … They saw only what they wanted to see. They got the wrong guy.”
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Prosecutors said that shell casings and bullet fragments were later found at the crime scene. Shell casings also were found at a location later discovered to be Clegg’s tent site.
Prosecutors said bullets fired from Clegg’s 9mm handgun were consistent in calibre and class characteristics as bullet fragments found during the Reids’ post-mortems.
Both sides also gave differing accounts of a woman who was walking on the trail with her dogs and allowed the Reids to pass her and walk ahead. She later heard gunshots, then came across a man on the trail before continuing her hike.
