Dateline: Unforgettable: Where is Michael Reese's wife now?

The Minister of Music at Sardis Baptist Church in Alabama, Cindy Reese, was convicted of the murder of her husband of six years, Michael Reese. She was accused of fatally shooting Michael in the head inside their Banks Street home and then staging the scene to make it look like a burglary before calling for help.

Cindy was found guilty by a jury of the charge against her and was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2017. She was transferred from Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women to a work-release program in Birmingham, Alabama, in April 2019, less than three years into the four-decade-long sentence, and is currently serving her time there.

Oxygen's Dateline: Unforgettable is slated to recount the details of Michael Reese's murder by his wife Cindy and the involvement of her pastor boyfriend, given that their alleged affair led to the tragic killing. The episode titled Even the Devil Went to Church will air on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at 8 pm ET.

The preview states:

"When a small-town Alabama resident is murdered, rumours involving a local pastor begin to swirl. Andrea Canning reflects on this story that feels to her like a steamy soap opera playing out in real life."

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Michael Resse's wife Cindy Reese got involved in an extramarital affair with a local pastor

Michael Reese married Cindy in 2009 after the latter's first husband reportedly ended his life. Sources state that a few years into their marriage, the wife started having an affair with a senior pastor, Jeffrey Brown at the Sardis Baptist Church after the two first met in 2013. Cindy worked at the same church as the minister of music.

The Browns and Reeses grew close throughout 2014 and reports state that Cindy and her family frequently watched Brown's two children. She even claimed that she shared a savings account with her boyfriend and had her name registered on the lease for his apartment and his car. Evidence and testimonies suggested that the two were planning a life together.

Cindy stated that she and Jeffrey got involved in a s*xual relationship in the spring of 2014 until the fall of that same year before she went on a trip with Michael and reconciled with him. Jeffrey, on the other hand, maintained that their relationship never developed into a s*xual one. Even after the trip with Michael, the couple's affair continued.

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Cindy Reese and Jeffrey Brown were convicted in connection to Michael Reese's murder

On February 18, 2015, the day Michael Reese was found shot to death inside the couple's home, his wife Cindy reportedly went out for lunch with her boyfriend. Hours later, she shot Michael in the head and staged the crime scene to make it look like a robbery. She then went to a Piggly Wiggly to shop for groceries.

Cindy Reese and Jeffrey Brown were both arrested within a month after the murder, and it did not take long for the two lovers to turn against each other. Cindy stated that Jeffrey was "obsessed" with her and was upset when she refused to divorce Michael, contradicting Jeffrey's claims that she frequently spoke of murdering her husband.

Additionally, Jeffrey claimed that his girlfriend gave him her "stolen" jewels and asked him to get rid of the murder weapon. Cindy, on the other hand, stated that she met Brown at a nearby gas station, paid him $15 for gas, and then went to a Piggly Wiggly, this contradicted Brown's testimony.

Further investigation revealed that Cindy was the primary beneficiary of her husband Michael Reese's $50,000 life insurance policy. Jeffrey Brown eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and a prison sentence of 20 years and agreed to testify against Cindy Reese. A jury found her guilty in 2017 and sentenced her to 40 years in prison.

In 2019, she was transferred from Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women to a work-release program in Birmingham. Her first parole hearing will be held in 2030.

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Michael Reese's murder case airs on Dateline: Unforgettable this Tuesday, October 18, 2022.