Fire strikes home where owner is accused of killing tenants
Associated Press
Battle Creek – A Battle Creek home owned by a man who is accused of killing two tenants was badly damaged by a weekend fire.
Firefighters were at the house before dawn Sunday while the landlord, Chad Reed, remained in jail awaiting a court hearing Monday.
Reed, 53, was arrested last week. Police said he confessed to killing Joseph Soule, 34, in self-defense on Oct. 7 and shot Jacyln Lepird, 31, as she tried to run from the house.
The bodies were wrapped in plastic and placed in a pickup truck. They weren’t discovered for more than a week.
Det. Sgt. Joel Case told the Battle Creek Enquirer that Soule and Lepird stayed up late upstairs and Reed didn’t like the noise. They also argued about money.