Board delays parole decision on convicted St. Paul cop killer until September
St. Paul cop killer up for parole
A man convicted of killing St. Paul police officer in 1970 will have his fourth parole hearing on Aug. 11, potentially paving the way for his freedom. FOX 9’s Maury Glover has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Supervised Release Board has delayed its decision on the release of Ronald Reed, the man convicted of the murder of St. Paul police officer James Sackett in 1970.
Ronald Reed decision
What we know:
Some board members seemed to be leaning towards a path towards release for Reed but couldn't agree on the timeline:
- One board member suggested a "presumptive parole" plan that would stagger his release, starting with work release, over six to nine months.
- A second motion would have denied parole and allowed Reed to be reconsidered in one year.
The board voted on the second motion but voted it down on a 2-3 vote, with Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell as the deciding vote. Schnell said he did so because he wanted to "figure out what it would take to move this forward."
What's next:
The board then voted to delay their decision until its next meeting on Sept. 11 in order to give more time to weigh the decision.
Big picture view:
Those favoring release for Reed said they were basing their decision on the fact that they felt Reed was not a threat to the community. They pointed to Reed's behavior in prison and his life after Sackett's murder. Board members reasoned that Reed was a productive member of society for nearly two decades before he was arrested for Sackett's murder.
Officer Sackett's murder
The backstory:
Officer James T. Sackett Sr. was shot and killed on May 22, 1970, by a sniper while responding to a false 911 call in St. Paul.
The 911 call was reportedly placed by Reed's ex-girlfriend to lure a police officer to the scene. While officers were able to identify the woman who made the false 911 call, Reed wasn't publicly identified as a suspect until 2003, after police reopened the case.
Reed claims innocence
What they're saying:
During Tuesday's hearing, Reed denied responsibility for the shooting, claiming he was wrongfully convicted of the shooting.
Not only did Reed claim he was innocent of the murder, but he also claimed he wasn't at the scene of the crime and said he didn't know who killed Officer Sackett.
Reed did acknowledge that his ex-girlfriend was the one who placed the false 911 call that lured Officer Sackett to his death.
The other side:
According to court documents, at trial, Reed's ex-girlfriend Constance Trimble-Smith testified at trial that Reed had directed her to make the false 911 call that had lured Officer Sackett to the scene of his death. Trimble-Smith also testified that she went with Reed to a friend's house a short distance from where Sackett was shot that same night.
The court documents state another witness testified that Reed had attempted to recruit him to kill a police officer. Another friend said that Reed had said that killing a cop would put "St. Paul on the map" and allow the city to get a Black Panther chapter.
That witness also testified that they spoke with Reed and another friend after the cop's shooting. When the witness brought up the shooting, they said Reed remained silent and the other friend told them to "drop" because "we don't want to go there."
Dig deeper:
Reed was convicted by a jury in March 2006 of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, because he was sentenced under 1970 law, his sentence allows him the possibility of parole.
Reed has fought for a new trial three times, claiming that Trimble-Smith and other witnesses have since recanted their testimony. However, his attempts to overturn his conviction have been denied by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
The Source: This story uses information from the Minnesota Supervised Release Board and previous FOX 9 reporting.