|
Read News
|
Pocono News Section
Details on David Reed's death
Details on David Reed's death - Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 6:23PM EST
Thursday, Aug 21, 2008 @ 06:23pm EST
David Reed was last seen alive 23 years ago today.
The 13 year-old's body was found a few months later.
Police never gave up and made an arrest Wednesday.
Police say an argument over marijuana led to reed's death.
It took more than 20 years of questioning and digging up Reed's remains to come to that conclusion.
State police lead Joseph Geiger into his arraignment.
He's charged with killing David Reed, but he says, "I didn't do it. I didn't do it."
Reed's family members say there's no doubt.
Reed's cousin Pam Schappell says, "From the day that they found his body, everybody suspected him right off the bat."
Reed never returned to his home here in Schuylkill Haven, on August 21, 1985 .
Police say he was smoking marijuana and drinking with Geiger.
Investigators says Geiger accused reed of stealing marijuana plants and punched him.
That's when reed fell, hit his head, and died.
6 months later, his body was found in Cressona Borough.
Reed's cousin Rhonda Sheriff says, "I hope he gets the maximum sentence for everything he can possibly get. And I hope he feels bad for the rest of his life."
For years, this case had no new leads.
In 2005, police started questioning people again.
Around that time, Geiger held a job at Reed's cemetery.
Geiger worked at Schuylkill Park Memorial cemetery in 2006, where reed is laid to rest.
It's quite possible that he could have cut grass right next to Reed's grave plot.
But police won't say if there's any direct connection with the job and reed's death
This January, police exhumed of Reed's remains from that the cemetery.
Investigators took a closer look at his head injury.
Last month, the official cause of death was changed from undetermined to homicide.
Schuylkill County coroner Joseph Lipsett says, "I didn't know that we'd ever come to see this day however with new technology that has really made me personally grateful."
Family members say they're grateful an arrest has finally been made.
Schappell says, "We're really glad that he's finally being brought to justice and Davey can finally rest."
Police keep thanking technology to get them to this point.
Reed's body was sent to three different labs, an analyzed by a world renowned forensic pathologist.
Police needed the injuries to be consistent with eyewitnesses that said they saw Geiger punch Reed. | | |
|
|
|