CONCORD, N.H. (Court TV) — A man described as a “globetrotter” found living in a tent has been convicted of murdering a couple on a popular New Hampshire hiking trail.
Logan Clegg was charged with second-degree murder for the deaths of Stephen Reid and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, who were found shot and buried beneath sticks and leaves at the Marsh Loop Trailhead on April 18, 2022. Both victims had been shot multiple times. In an arrest affidavit, police said the medical examiner determined Stephen was shot four times while Wendy was shot twice.
On Oct. 23, a jury found Clegg guilty of four counts of second-degree murder, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and four counts of falsifying physical evidence.
This booking photo provided by the South Burlington, Vt. Police Dept., 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. Described as a person of interest in an unsolved homicide in New Hampshire, Clegg was ordered held without bail Thursday Oct. 13, 2022, after he was arrested in Vermont on a charge of being a fugitive from justice from Utah. (South Burlington, Vt. Police Dept. via AP)
When detectives first saw Clegg, they found him living in a tent near the Reids’ apartment, but he did not give officers his real name, instead he introduced himself as “Arthur Kelly.” In an arrest affidavit obtained by Court TV, officers said once they determined Clegg’s identity, they learned he had a long criminal history, including convictions for theft and arrests with stolen weapons in Utah.
Described as a globetrotter, detectives said Clegg had traveled to France, Portugal, Germany and Iceland in the years prior to the murders before taking a job at McDonald’s in Concord in 2021.
A number of witnesses on the trail said they saw a suspicious man walking around and heard gunshots, and gave police vague descriptions, though none had photographs or video. Among the commonalities in description was that the man was carrying plastic grocery bags.
Officers also identified what they termed a “Burnt Tent Site,” a single tent in a secluded area where dozens of small propane tanks that appeared to be burned were found on April 26, 2022. They also observed burnt soda cans, pots and heating/cooking equipment.
Among the items of evidence officers focused on in their investigation were cans of Mountain Dew “Code Red,” which were initially seen scattered near Clegg’s tent, but then disappeared along with all evidence of Clegg when police returned to the scene for further investigation.
Police used the smaller number of stores that sell that specific soda to identify Clegg on video and identify him as the mysterious man described by witnesses, as well as the person who called himself Arthur Kelly.
Clegg pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys challenged the validity of some of the evidence in the case. They e argued that bullet casings found at the scene were placed there after the shooting because they were not found when officers initially found the victims.
Addressing the guilty verdict, New Hampshire Attorney General john Formella said, “Today our thoughts are with Stephen and Djeswende Reid, their family, and all who knew and loved them.”
Clegg will be sentenced on Dec. 15, 2023.
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