A 27-year-old vagrant, who detectives initially nicknamed “Mountain Dew Man” until they uncovered his true identity, has been convicted of murdering a retired couple on a New Hampshire hiking trail near their home in April 2022.
Jurors found Logan Clegg guilty of all charges Monday after two days of deliberations following the shooting deaths of Stephen Reid, 67, and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, 66, on the Marsh Loop Trail in Concord.
“A liar, a thief, a murderer has been brought to justice today, more importantly forever,” 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.”
Clegg faced nine charges, four counts of second-degree murder, four counts of falsifying physical evidence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
NEW HAMPSHIRE DOUBLE MURDER: HOW POLICE ID’D HOMELESS ‘MOUNTAIN DEW MAN’ IN RETIRED COUPLE SLAYING
This booking photo provided by the South Burlington, Vermont, Police Department shows Logan Clegg. Clegg, 26, who was described as homeless, was arrested Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, by police in South Burlington after detectives from New Hampshire spotted him in the area. (South Burlington, Vt. Police Dept. via AP, File)
The Reids were humanitarian workers who met in Washington, D.C., and immediately knew they were soulmates, their family said previously. They retired to New Hampshire to enjoy the outdoors.
Clegg had been camping in the woods near their home for months.
Shortly after the Reids were reported missing on April 18, police canvassed the area and encountered a man in the area who gave his name as “Arthur Kelly,” according to court documents, which noted he was seen carrying a stack of Mountain Dew cans.
Police later found the Reids’ remains near the trail, covered in leaves and brush, and began investigating Kelly, who they discovered was really named Logan Clegg. However, he lit his campsite on fire and fled before authorities closed in.
In this image provided by Vermont Courts, Logan Clegg appears via a video link during a courtroom hearing on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Burlington, Vermont. The New Hampshire attorney general’s office says Clegg is accused of two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting deaths of a couple in Concord, New Hampshire, on April 18, 2022. (Vermont Courts photo via AP)
Vermont police arrested him at the South Burlington Public Library on Oct. 12, 2022, according to court documents.
They traced him there through purchase records and phone pings after Homeland Security Investigations discovered he had booked a one-way ticket to Germany that would have left on Oct. 14.
At his burned out campsite, police found dozens of cans of Mountain Dew, more than 150 propane tanks and 19 spent shell casings that matched the brand and caliber as the ones recovered near the victims’ bodies. However, according to the defense, ballistics testing was inconclusive when compared to the gun recovered from his backpack.
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Clegg’s criminal history includes burglaries and shoplifting – including the thefts of handguns from a sporting goods store.
Retired humanitarian aid workers Stephen Reid, age 67, and Djeswende Reid, age 66, were reported missing on April 18, 2022. Search teams discovered their remains hidden near a hiking trail close to their home on April 21, 2022. (New Hampshire Department of Justice)
He killed a 28-year-old Spokane man in Washington in 2018 – claiming he stabbed him in self-defense. Authorities there did not prosecute him, citing a lack of evidence.
In Utah in 2020, he was arrested again for shoplifting. When police took a gun out of his belt during that arrest, he told the officers he wished he had “a chance to pull [it] out and fight one on one,” according to the affidavit.
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He added that he would “rather die than f—ing go to prison.”
Now, he faces life in prison at sentencing on Dec. 15.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
