Man sentenced to up to life in prison for shooting deaths of retired couple on hiking trail

CONCORD, N.H. — A 27-year-old man living in a tent in the woods of New Hampshire was sentenced to life in prison Friday for the fatal shooting of a retired couple who had gone hiking. He claimed his innocence in court.

Judge John Kissinger Jr. of the Supreme Court called Logan Clegg a “stone-cold, violent killer” as he imposed the sentence prosecutors requested of two sentences of 50 years to life for the murders of Stephen and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid. The couple was killed in April 2022 while walking on a path near their apartment in Concord, the state capital. They had done international development and humanitarian work before recently moving to the city.

“I certainly hope he engages in rehabilitation, but there is no chance — if this sentence stands — that he will spend a day outside of prison,” Kissinger said.

A jury convicted Clegg in October of all nine charges he faced, including four counts of manslaughter, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and four counts of tampering with physical evidence. The falsified evidence counts involved allegedly moving and hiding the victims' bodies, setting his tent on fire, and destroying or deleting information from his laptop.

No motive was given for the killings. Prosecutors said Clegg's repeated lies, his attempt to flee and the gun found in his backpack created a trail of evidence to prove he was guilty. But defense lawyers said authorities charged the wrong person, failed to prove their case and suggested someone placed bullet casings at the crime scene a month after the area was heavily searched.

“If there was a case to send a message to the community, this is it,” said prosecutor Meghan Hagaman.

Defense attorney Caroline Smith said the sentence sought was “amount to life without parole” and did not fit the charges. She said she stands by Clegg's claim of innocence and that “no number is fair in this case.”

Six relatives and friends of the Reids spoke about their grief and loss. They described the Reids as a very loving, hardworking couple from humble backgrounds and so willing to help others. They met in the 1980s when Stephen took a job at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., as a liaison to several West African countries, according to their obituary. Born in Benin, Wendy was a star basketball player who had traveled the world.

They supported a long sentence and turned to Clegg.

“I'm sorry for how weak you are, how empty you must be and how you wasted a perfectly healthy life,” said Keelan Forey, a niece of the Reids.

After they spoke, Clegg addressed the judge.

“These detectives have done everything in their power over the past year to deprive me of a proper trial,” he said. “That fact should be obvious to anyone who has prejudices against me or not.”

He added: “If the Supreme Court agrees with me, I may well get a new trial. … No man with any pride or dignity gives up just because he loses even one fight, especially when he knows he is right. Should there be a second battle, I can confidently promise that my innocence will be made clear and that I will win.”

Kissinger said there was no basis for Clegg's claim of police misconduct.

The Reids' bodies were found several days after they were reported missing. They had been dragged into the woods and covered in leaves, sticks and debris, police said.

Clegg, who gave a different name when police questioned him, later burned his tent, deleted information from his computer and bought a bus ticket from 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, they said.

Clegg's attorneys said he left New Hampshire not because of the Reids, but because he hid from police after violating his probation for burglary and theft in Utah.

Prosecutors said shell casings and bullet fragments were later found at the crime scene. Shell casings were also found at a location later discovered to be Clegg's tent site. Prosecutors said the bullets fired from Clegg's 9mm pistol were consistent in caliber and class characteristics, as bullet fragments found during the Reids' autopsies.

Cleggs' lawyers said an analysis of shell casings and bullets found in the area failed to conclude that his gun fired the shots and that the casings could have come from different weapons.