The family of a murdered Galveston County girl expressed outrage after learning a suspected killer wants to be buried in a veteran's cemetery. William Reece is suspected of murdering four girls and women in 1997. All cases remain unsolved until recently.
"This is absolutely disgusting. Who in their right mind would bury a serial killer among American heroes?" Jessica Cain's family told KPRC.
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Channel 2 Investigates reported Tuesday that Reece's attorney said his client asked to be given a veteran's burial. Reece recently led investigators to the remains of Jessica Cain and Kelli Ann Cox. Cain disappeared from Galveston County in 1997, and Cox disappeared from Denton the same year.
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The request came during negotiations with Reece in exchange for information regarding the murders of Cain, Cox, Laura Smither and Tiffany Johnston. Reece's attorney, Anthony Osso, said his client is “willing to accept responsibility” for the killings.
Reece has not yet been charged with any of the crimes as Osso and prosecutors continue negotiating a “global resolution” to all the cases. Osso said Texas authorities have agreed to take the death penalty “off the table” in exchange for information and guilty pleas. Osso said Oklahoma authorities have not yet agreed to this stipulation. Johnston was murdered in 1997 near Oklahoma City, and her body was found discarded near an interstate.
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“What I'm trying to do is get everybody on board for prosecuting these cases and resolving them quickly without the necessity of trial," Osso said on Tuesday.
Osso said the plan would be to have Reece plead guilty to all the Texas cases, receive sentencing and then be sent to Oklahoma to face charges in the Johnston case. Osso said even without the death penalty, Reece will be given such lengthy sentences in each case he will die in prison.
Osso said Reece wants to serve whatever sentences he is given in Oklahoma amongst the general prisoner population and to be given a job in prison. Osso said Reece is in poor health and wants to avoid spending his prison time on death row.
Osso has been in a Texas prison since 1998 after being convicted of kidnapping Sandra Sapaugh from Webster in 1997. Sapaugh escaped Reece by jumping from his truck as he was driving down the interstate.