5 key details about Selonia Reed’s murder

The murder of Selonia Reed in Hammond, Louisiana, on August 23, 1987, sent shock waves throughout the community and went unsolved for more than three decades. Her husband, Reginald Reed, was finally convicted in 2023 for killing her. The following is an outline of five key points about the case, including the crime, investigation, trial, and its effect on the actors.

The murder case of Selonia Reed appears in the upcoming episode of 48 Hours titled The Day My Mother Never Came Home is also to be released on CBS, based on the same case, on April 12, 2025.

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Five key points that give the full picture of what happened surrounding Selonia Reed's murder

1) The crime scene

According to Bayou Justice, Selonia Reed's body was found on a rainy Sunday morning in her blue Chevrolet Sprint parked near John's Curb Market on East Thomas Street. She was partially dressed and slumped in the passenger seat.

The evidence suggested that she had been s**ually assaulted with an umbrella and stabbed multiple times in the chest and neck using a tool that looked like a Phillips screwdriver.

Her face revealed evidence of severe blunt-force trauma. Coroner Dr. Vincent Cefalu verified that she died from three stab wounds to her lungs and one to the heart. There was a white substance smeared on her body, though the source is unclear.

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2) Early investigation challenges

According to Bayou Justice, the initial investigation had severe challenges:

• A witness claimed to have seen two men around the crime scene in a suspicious vehicle belonging to Reginald Reed's family. No arrests were made then, though.
• On September 10, 1987, investigators carried out a photo lineup in which Reginald Reed and accomplice Jimmy Ray Barnes were picked out as suspects.
• These leads notwithstanding, the case went cold because of insufficient evidence and procedural delays.

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3) Financial motive

According to Bayou Justice, Reginald Reed had taken out several life insurance policies on Selonia a short time before she died, with a total of $707,682 to be paid out. Prosecutors contended that greed was one of the motives for the killing. Reed spent the money in the years following but applied for her social security decades later, again raising eyebrows over his behavior.

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4) Breakthrough and trial

According to Bayou Justice, the case was reopened in 2019 after new evidence came to light:

• DNA evidence connected accomplice Jimmy Ray Barnes to the scene.
• Barnes testified at Reed's trial that he assisted in moving Selonia's body after Reed murdered her.
• Reginald Reed was convicted of second-degree murder on November 15, 2023, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

According to Bayou Justice, Barnes was sentenced to five years for his involvement but died shortly after his release from prison in a car accident.

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5) Impact on family

According to Bayou Justice, Selonia Reed's son, Reginald Reed Jr., was six years old when she was murdered. He first believed that his father was innocent but later conceded his guilt after seeing evidence presented during the trial. In his book The Day My Mother Never Came Home, he describes how discovering his father's role in the crime destroyed his image of him and how he managed to navigate the emotional turmoil from it, and his current relationship with his father. The 48 Hours episode, which shares the same name, will also feature Reginald sharing his account of the case.

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For more details on the murder of Selonia Reed, watch the 48 Hours episode titled The Day My Mother Never Came Home on CBS, on April 12, 2025.