BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — The landlord who confessed to the murders of Joseph Soule and Jaclyn Lepird nearly three years ago— Chad Allan Reed— is set to stand trial Tuesday.
The pair disappeared in October of 2020, leaving investigators without much to go on until a tip pointed them towards Reed who would turn himself in at the Battle Creek Police Department (BCPD) soon after.
When initial reports were released, BCPD told FOX 17 the victim’s loved ones reported multiple confrontations over money and noise between them and Reed before their disappearance.
From Reed’s initial account of what happened, police relayed one such argument the day of the murders escalated when Soule allegedly threatened him with a knife.
Reed claimed to have shot the 34-year-old in self-defense, then told investigators he shot Lepird when she tried to run away—following her to the backyard where he beat and strangled the 31-year-old.
Detectives say he hid their bodies at the home on Post Ave before moving them to an abandoned garage when family members and friends came looking for them.
Reed has since been subject to a competency examination which found him able to stand trial.
After the murders, the house where Soule and Lepird were killed was set on fire 5 times in a string of arsons across Battle Creek. It has since been demolished.
Chad Allan Reed faces a Calhoun County jury on 2 counts of open murder and 4 felony firearms charges including possession of weapons/firearms by a felon.
