RENO, Nev. (Court TV) — More disturbing details have surfaced after investigators questioned a teen accused of fatally shooting her father and four-year-old brother and attempting to kill her two-year-old sister inside the family’s Reno home.
Mashenka Ann Marie Reid, 17, is facing two charges of open murder and one charge of attempted murder in the deaths of her father and younger brother with special needs.
Mashenka Reid is accused of murdering her father and brother. (Washoe County Sheriff’s Office)
An affidavit obtained by Court TV documented Mashenka’s initial interview at the Reno Police Department and subsequent interview at Washoe County jail.
Police said Mashenka told them that on February 9, she sent her father on a fake errand for pizza-making supplies in order to “stall for time.” While he was gone, Mashenka grabbed her dad’s Walther PPS gun and retaught herself how to use it. When Justin Reid returned with groceries, Mashenka said she shot him multiple times as he came through the door from the garage, then fatally shot her four-year-old brother. When Mashenka tried to “burst” through the door that her toddler sister was locked in, she couldn’t. She told the detective that “she kind of woke up [and] couldn’t shoot anymore, so she called 911,” the affidavit stated.
Police said the initial 911 call came from a neighbor reporting gunshots and people saying, “Help, help,” shortly before the shooter herself called 911. Mashenka allegedly told the dispatcher, “I shot my dad. … I shot my brother. My brother’s dead.” Before ending the call, Mashenka said that she “just couldn’t resist the urge to kill somebody,” according to the affidavit. Mashenka also told dispatch that her sister was in the bedroom and said, “I think she’s alive…in there.”
Screenshot of a Google Maps image of the home where the shootings were said to have taken place in The Bungalows apartment complex in Reno, Nevada. (Google via Court TV)
When the first officer arrived, he quickly cuffed Mashenka in the front of the apartment, then made his way through the residence to locate the rest of the Reid family. Mashenka’s little brother was found first on the living room couch with a gunshot wound to his head. Next, Mashenka directed the officer towards the garage where her father was located, with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back. Knowing that a third victim was mentioned in the call to dispatch, the officer kicked open the door to the back bedroom and found Mashenka’s little sister unharmed. The gun was recovered from the living room floor where Mashenka had left it.
Details into her motive and mental state leading up to the shooting were revealed in her February 10 interview at the Washoe County Jail.
Mashenka admitted to being “extremely depressed” about her mother “running away” from home on December 15, 2023. Mashenka told police she wasn’t particularly close with her mother, and that the two would have short conversations that led to her mother trailing off about spirits and aliens.
Mashenka said after her mother left, she began fantasizing about murder and rape. She said she “would feel hot in her face and ‘down there’ in her private parts whenever she saw blood or heard screaming.”
“There were instances where she would feel this way as a result of her father’s emotional screams at home, at their grandparent’s house, or sometimes at the store. Mashenka talked about her dad crying over missing or hating her mother and sometimes hating himself.”
The disturbing thoughts slowly got worse, Mashenka told police. She started watching YouTube videos where people would record audio of self-inflicted pain, such as a guy burning his hand.
These videos “would cause her to have thoughts of torturing them…not just her family but anybody experiencing pain.” She would think about how she would torture them, including choking, shooting, stabbing or setting them on fire, she told police.
Regarding personal relationships, Mashenka said she had difficulty making friends, having moved around a lot as a child. She also said while she didn’t particularly like talking to people, she had met a male online sometime in Jan. whom she called “Boo.” They met on a dating app where she portrayed herself as an 18-year-old female named “Hawkish.” Ultimately, Mashenka exchanged numbers and nude photographs of herself. The relationship lasted two days.
Dr. Janie Lacy is an internationally recognized licensed
psychotherapist and relationship expert, TLC TV Show co-star,
accomplished speaker, and champion for women globally. (Court TV)
Dr. Janie Lacy, a licensed psychotherapist and certified sex addiction therapist familiar with the case, said without a comprehensive psychological evaluation, it would be premature to suggest a specific psychological cause for her crimes. One of them is Sexual Sadism Disorder (SSD), a psychiatric condition where a person experiences sexual arousal from inflicting physical or emotional pain on others.
“Individuals who commit such heinous acts often have complex histories that may include trauma, neglect, or exposure to violence, Dr. Lacy said. With a baseline of untreated mental illnesses before the murders, her mother’s abandonment and exposure to her father’s grief over her mother leaving could have played a significant role in (Mashenka’s) actions.”
In general, Dr. Lacy said there are early warning signs that could indicate a child may be struggling, including:
- Drastic changes in behavior
- Social withdrawal
- Unexplained anger or aggression
- Interest in violent or sexual content inappropriate for their age
- Lack of empathy towards other’s pain or distress
While these signs do not automatically indicate a diagnosis such as SSD, Dr. Lacy says they should trigger concern and warrant professional consultation.
Mashenka Reid is currently being held without bail and is expected to appear in court for a status hearing on March 28.
If anyone suspects that they or someone they know is battling these kinds of thoughts, it’s critical to seek professional help immediately. They can contact their local mental health services, a trusted healthcare provider, or a hotline such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE). It’s essential to approach the person with care and concern, encouraging them to seek help while ensuring they don’t pose a threat to themselves or others.
