Leslie Reed went to trial on Oct. 12, 1938, for the Aug. 4 murder of Ed Williams. Witnesses at the crime scene portrayed Reed as the aggressor, shooting an unarmed Williams through the window of Reed’s mother’s home at 412 West Pettis where Williams boarded, after what seemed to be a minor quarrel. When the trial began, however, testimony was decidedly different, showing Williams as the aggressor and Reed acting in self-defense.
The attorneys called a “large number” of witnesses. Sedalia attorney Henry Salveter represented Reed. Prosecuting Attorney L.J. Harned represented the state. Jurors included Carl Walter, Arthur Jenss, Marshall Hall, Francis Dunn, Guy Mahin, F. L. Schenk, Jr., Glenn Chamberlin, Vivian Kindred, R. O. Shellhorn, O. F Hayes, J. E. Hays, and E. S. Burnett. The trial, like most sensational trials in Sedalia, also drew a big crowd of “interested spectators.”
Reed and other witnesses testified to a history of trouble between the two men and noted that Williams had threatened Reed several times in the past. On the morning of Aug. 4, Mary Reed was a work at the home of her employer W. H. Cloney. Williams, Reed, Reed’s son, and an elderly almost blind uncle William Estes were preparing breakfast. Williams, who had been drinking, began to accuse Estes of misusing his pension. Reed reprimanded Williams for criticizing the old man, the argument escalated, and Reed left the house.
Reed returned to the house about 2:30 p.m. At that time, Mrs. Reed and Estes were visiting at a neighbor’s house. Reed spoke to his son. When Williams also called to Reed’s son, Reed accused Williams of interfering with his family. Reed and his son entered the house, found Mrs. Reed and Estes gone, and Williams challenged them to “just finish it.” A scuffle began. The men scuffled out the back door, then back into the house.
During the scuffle, Williams mentioned “shooting it out.” Reed got a shotgun from behind the door and went outside. Williams, who also had a gun behind the door, walked to the front of the house where the gun was. Reed fired through the window, hitting Reed in the arm.
Mrs. Reed returned home, where she found Williams lying in the backyard with a severe gunshot wound in this arm and a gun beside his side. Reed was standing in the yard with a gun. She took the gun away from Reed and took both guns inside.
Police were summoned. When officers arrived, they found the guns inside. William’s gun contained one shell.
Testimony in the trial continued from Wednesday morning through late Thursday afternoon. Following the attorneys’ summations, the jury retired to consider the verdict. They returned in 45 minutes with a verdict of not guilty. Reed was released.
The verdict raises some interesting questions. One question involves why was there so much discrepancy between the testimony at the time of the crime and at the trial. Another question involves lack of reference in the original testimony to Estes’ presence, Williams’ threats, and William’s drinking.
But perhaps the most interesting question is why when it was clear that Reed had shot Williams who was not actually pointing a gun at Reed, was he exonerated.
