The man convicted of fatally shooting a retired New Hampshire couple on a hiking trail last year was handed a sentence Friday that is expected to keep him in prison for the rest of his life.
Judge John Kissinger sentenced Logan Clegg to two consecutive 50 years to life prison terms, the amount recommended by prosecutors. If the sentence holds, the judge said Clegg will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"My hope in imposing this sentence is that the defendant never again walks the streets as a free man," Kissinger said.
Clegg, 27, was found guilty in October of “knowingly and recklessly” causing the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, among other charges. He was also found guilty of several counts of falsifying physical evidence and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. The jury reached its verdict after a day and a half of deliberations.
Before he was sentenced, Clegg spoke, maintaining his innocence and criticizing investigators, who he said "did everything they could over the past year to cheat me out of getting a fair trial."
"When you have to throw sand into your opponent's eyes in order to win, that's a sure sign that you're not the one that deserves to win," he said.
Clegg said he will appeal his conviction, and promised "with confidence that my innocence will be made clear and I will win."
Before handing down his sentence, Kissinger fired back at Clegg's assertion that he was wrongfully convicted.
"Let me be clear, there is absolutely no basis to that claim," the judge said. "Having sat through the trial in this case and the pretrial proceedings, there is no doubt in my mind the Concord police worked tirelessly and skillfully to bring the killer of Stephen and Wendy Reid to justice. The suggestion that somehow the conviction is a product of misconduct is insulting, it's outrageous and it's untrue."
Kissinger said Clegg "is a stone cold, violent murderer, nothing more. He shot and killed Steve and Wendy for no reason. His statements today ring hollow."
The Reids, who had done international development work, had recently retired and were shot multiple times after going for a walk on the trail near their apartment in the city of Concord on April 18, 2022.
Their bodies, found several days later, had been dragged into the woods and covered with leaves, sticks and debris, police said. Clegg was living in a tent near the trail at the time. His trial began Oct. 3 and lawyers delivered closing arguments Thursday.
Several family members and and friends of the Reids read victim witness statements at Friday's sentencing hearing.
Keelan Forey, the victims' niece, said Clegg's actions have caused her family "immense grief and pain."
"Your actions have caused this hurt that we will never be able to get over," she said. "It is not possible to put into words."
"My parents dedicated their lives to spreading compassion, kindness, through their humanitarian work worldwide,” added Brian Reid, the victims' son. “May the defendant’s name fade into the shadows he inhabits, his actions condemned, and his existence confined to four walls for as long as he remains, while those who knew Steve and Wendy dine out on their beautiful memories for generations.”
After the Reids were reported missing, Clegg, who was questioned by investigators searching for them, provided a false name. He later burned his tent, erased information from his computer and bought a bus ticket out of Concord, prosecutors said.
Investigators eventually found and arrested Clegg in October 2022 in South Burlington, Vermont, with a one-way plane ticket to Berlin, Germany, a fake passport, and a gun in his backpack.
Prosecutors said during closing arguments that Clegg's repeated lies, attempt to flee and the gun in his backpack offered clear evidence of his guilt. But they said they still don't know why he committed the murders.
Clegg's lawyers argued during his trial that he did not kill the Reids, and that the only reason he gave police an alias and left New Hampshire was because he had been hiding from the authorities after violating his probation from 2021 on burglary and theft charges in Utah. They said he had already spent time overseas, in Portugal, before moving back to the United States.
