HOUSTON – Wearing a blue, pullover polo, blue jeans and shackles, William Reece faced a Galveston County judge Wednesday. During the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Reece did not fight his transfer to the custody of officials in Oklahoma.
Reece is facing charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder in Oklahoma. He is accused of killing Tiffany Johnston outside Oklahoma City in 1997.
Reece was not charged with Johnston’s murder until last year, but prosecutors in Oklahoma allowed Reece to stay in Texas to help lead investigators to the bodies of Jessica Cain and Kelli Ann Cox. Cain disappeared in 1997 near her Tikki Island home, and Cox disappeared the same year from Denton. Their cases remained unsolved until this year when Reece helped investigators find their bodies.
Reece is also the only suspect in the murder of Laura Smither. She too was murdered in 1997. Her body was discovered a few weeks after she disappeared while on a jog near her Friendswood home.
Smither’s parents were in court for Reece’s hearing.
“We're here to represent Laura. We're Laura's presence in that courtroom and that was important to us,” said Gay Smither.
Even though Reece has not been charged with the Texas murders, his attorney, Anthony Osso, told Channel 2 Investigates his client is “willing to accept responsibility” for the killings.
“At least we know for absolute positive now. We always strongly suspected, but now we have no doubt at all and there's some peace in that,” said Bob Smither.
Gay Smither said while she wants Reece held accountable for her daughter’s murder. Over the past 19 years, she said, she has also come to pity him.
“Any person who can harm and murder somebody else is so broken. I can't understand what led him to become the person he became,” said Smither.
Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady said once Reece faces trial in Oklahoma he will be brought back to Texas to be charged with the other murders.
“We've completed our investigation. We believe those cases are solved,” said Roady.
Roady said Oklahoma officials agreed to take Reece to trial within 180 days from the time he is transferred to their custody.
Texas officials agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for Reece’s cooperation. Oklahoma prosecutors have not yet decided whether they will seek the death penalty.
Reece has been serving a 60-year sentence in a Texas prison since 1998, when he was convicted of kidnapping Sandra Sapaugh in Webster. Sapaugh escaped Reece by jumping out of his truck. Reece was temporarily released to the custody of Galveston County officials in February to help in the search for the bodies of Cain and Cox.