Jack Wayne Reeves (born June 20, 1940) is a convicted murderer serving a 99-year

prison sentence In criminal law, a sentence is the punishment for a crime ordered by a trial court after conviction in a criminal procedure, normally at the conclusion of a trial. A sentence may consist of imprisonment, a fine, or other sanctions. Sentences for ...

for killing his second and fourth wives.

Early life

Reeves was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, on June 20, 1940. He retired from the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

in 1985 as a master sergeant.

First wife

Reeves' first marriage was at 18 to a 15-year-old. The marriage was

annulled Annulment is a legal procedure within secular and religious legal systems for declaring a marriage null and void. Unlike divorce, it is usually retroactive, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to be invalid from the beginning almo ...

in 1960.

Manslaughter

In 1967, while stationed with his second wife in Italy, Reeves killed a man and served four months in prison for

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

. After his release, the couple returned to the U.S. and settled in

Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove ( ) is a city located in central Texas at the southern corner of Coryell County, Texas, Coryell County with smaller portions in Lampasas County, Texas, Lampasas and Bell County, Texas, Bell counties. Founded in 1879 as a small ranch ...

Second wife

Reeves in 1961 married his second wife, Sharon Vaughn, and they were together for 18 years. They had two sons, Ricky and Randall, while in Italy. In 1977, Sharon pursued an affair with John Behneman. She filed for divorce in February 1978 while Reeves was stationed in South Korea. On July 20, 1978, a week after divorcing Reeves, she died of a shotgun wound to her chest that was originally believed to be self-inflicted. The case was re-examined in 1994 and it was determined that she was murdered. The prosecution demonstrated in court how difficult it would have been for her to shoot herself. A blood spatter expert concluded that Sharon wore a bra and underwear at the time of her death, but when her body was found, she was naked. She was 34.

Third wife

Reeves married Myeong-hi Chong on December 31, 1980, in South Korea. She drowned in Lake Whitney in Texas in 1986. Her family said Myeong-hi was unable to swim and had a strong aversion to water. Bruises on her face made her sister suspicious and she requested an autopsy. Reeves had Myeong-Hi

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

Fourth wife

Reeves met his fourth wife, Emilita Villa, through a

mail-order bride A mail-order bride is a woman who lists herself in catalogs and is selected by a man for marriage. In the twentieth century, the trend primarily involved women living in developing countries seeking men from more developed nations. Men who list t ...

service when she was 18. Reeves was 28 years her senior. Emilita was reportedly reluctant to marry him, but felt obligated due to monthly payments he sent to her family in the Philippines. When she became pregnant, Reeves sent her back to her family as he believed he was not the father. He changed his mind when she sent him a photograph of their son. She was last seen alive on October 11, 1994. She disappeared shortly after telling friends of her intent to divorce Reeves. In October 1995, her remains were found by a hunter in a shallow grave near Lake Whitney, where Reeves' third wife drowned eight years previously.

Investigation and arrest

Emilita's friend reported her missing. Police grew suspicious when they found out Reeves had two dead wives, both of whom died after making plans to leave Reeves and complaining to friends of mistreatment by him. He was arrested on March 21, 1995, for the murder of his second wife and bail was set at $500,000.

Trial

He was convicted on January 3, 1996, for the 1978 murder of Sharon Reeves and received a 35-year prison sentence. On August 20, 1996, he was

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

of murdering Emilita Reeves and sentenced to an additional 99 years. Reeves appealed both convictions but was rejected. His sentences are being served concurrently. He will be eligible for

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

in 2026.

Media coverage

The case was covered in episodes of Exhumed,

Forensic Files ''Forensic Files'', originally known as ''Medical Detectives'', is an American documentary television program that reveals how forensic science is used to solve violent crimes, mysterious accidents, and outbreaks of illness. The show was origin ...

and 'Mail Order Murder' by Patricia Springer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Jack 1940 births 20th-century American murderers American people convicted of manslaughter American people imprisoned in Italy Living people People convicted of murder by Texas People from Wichita Falls, Texas Serial killers from Texas United States Army non-commissioned officers Uxoricides