The Dumbest Murder Conspiracy - Deerfield, New Hampshire

Summary

Small Town Murder Podcast Summary
Episode: "The Dumbest Murder Conspiracy – Deerfield, New Hampshire"
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman
Date: April 10, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this "Small Town Murder Express" episode, James and Jimmie delve into what may be the dumbest murder conspiracy they've ever encountered, set in the seemingly idyllic Deerfield, New Hampshire. The story centers on John Brooks, a self-made millionaire, whose obsession over stolen property devolves into a highly inept and ultimately brutal murder plot, dragging a cast of accomplices—family, friends, and hapless hired hands—into a years-long, ill-conceived revenge plot. The hosts balance detailed research with their signature dark humor, showcasing the bizarre stupidity and tragedy at the heart of this case.

---

Deerfield, New Hampshire: The Setting

[05:34 – 13:39]

• Deerfield is a small, prosperous New Hampshire town, commutable to Boston, with a population of around 4,800 (median household income over $112,000).
• Noted for community events like the Deerfield Fair, but with also some local gripes: one resident complains, “the town is filled with the nastiest political infighting… snobby snob zoning.” [09:49 – 10:17, James/Jimmie]
• Hosts riff on local attractions: “The Bryson Lang Juggling and Comedy Show... I would rather pull a cow than watch that.” [11:32, James]
• James and Jimmie trade playful jabs at small-town life, its “repetition,” and the eclectic line-up of fair entertainment.

---

Key Players and Backstory

[13:44 – 22:29]

John (Jay) Brooks

• Born poor in Manchester, NH (1951). Troublesome upbringing: “His father was a violent, alcoholic, club-footed bastard… and somehow got laid.” [14:49, James]
• Self-made: Worked multiple jobs, joined Navy as a medic, used GI Bill, eventually designed innovative surgical trays, launching PolyVac (1985).
• Sells PolyVac for $46 million in 1996. “Rich and anonymous is the greatest thing in the world.” [20:23, James]
• Despite great wealth, described as controlling and suspicious, convinced people are always stealing from him.

Family and Associates

• Wife: Lorraine. Son: Jesse Brooks (becomes John's main confidant and accomplice).
• Collaborators include Robin Knight (real estate contact), Michael Benton, Andrew Carter, and later, Joseph Vrooman.

Jack Reed

• Local handyman, described as reliable, loving father of five.
• Hired by Brooks in September 2003 for moving help; the next day, Brooks’ trailer (with expensive items and his father’s ashes) is stolen.

---

The Stolen Trailer – The Seed of Conspiracy

[22:29 – 27:55]

• Brooks is convinced the thief is Jack Reed, despite telling police otherwise—and begins plotting revenge.
• In a comically illogical leap, Brooks decides to orchestrate Reed’s murder, enlisting his son Jesse, friends Carter and Benton, and later, others.

Memorable Quote [26:12]:
“He told the cops, don’t investigate [Jack Reed].’ Cause I'm gonna investigate him.” –James

---

Evolving Murder Plots and Failed Attempts

[27:55 – 38:23]

• The plan escalates: kidnap and torture Reed for information (butane torch threatened), kill him afterward.
• Brooks pays Carter and Benton $5,000 each upfront as “retainer” for the murder. (“Like they're lawyers now.” [35:27, James])
• A failed attempt: Jesse and Benton, armed with a Maglite and baseball bat, try to ambush Reed at night. Reed, armed, shoots at the prowlers and calls police; the group flees.
• Plot is abandoned—temporarily.

---

The Conspiracy Rekindled

[38:24 – 46:11]

• Eighteen months later, Brooks still obsesses over revenge; efforts include reporting Reed to the FBI as a thief (unsuccessfully).
• Brooks expands the plot, recruiting Joseph Vrooman (offering $10,000) and reinvolving Robin Knight for logistical support.
• The group concocts an alibi for Jesse: he’ll take his mother out during the crime to establish he wasn’t involved.

Notable Quote [41:22]: “If you feel friction in the universe against what you’re doing, it’s probably 'cause you’re forcing it… All of my biggest fuck-ups in life have been from forcing it.” —James

---

The Murder at the Farmhouse

[46:12 – 53:13]

• Knight, using a burner phone as “Charlie Was,” lures Reed alone to a remote Deerfield farm with a moving job.
• The group does a “dress rehearsal” at the farmhouse on June 27, 2005, postponing only briefly after a boarder interrupts.
• Reed arrives, is ambushed by Vrooman and Benton in a closet; Benton quickly ignores the torture-interrogation plan and bludgeons Reed in the head with a three-pound sledgehammer.
• The conspirators’ attempts to contain the scene (with plastic wrap and tarp) fail comically: “You can’t get Saran Wrap over a goddamn Tupperware...you’re not gonna get it around this guy’s bleeding head.” [49:43, James]
• Brooks himself delivers final sledgehammer blows to Reed’s chest: “Stop the heart. Stop the bleeding.” [50:17, James]
• Reed is killed without ever being interrogated or accused.

---

Disposal and the Investigation

[53:13 – 59:30]

• Body wrapped in plastic, dumped in back of Reed’s own pickup, abandoned in a Target lot (after they lose the truck keys).
• Surveillance cameras capture the operation; police find the body eight days later.
• The investigation quickly unravels the plot: burner phone records, DNA, connections between Brooks, Knight, Vrooman, Benton, and money transfers to Jesse.

Notable Quote [53:44]: “One of these people made $50 million in their life, and this is the biggest group of morons. This is like Fargo.” —James

---

The Case Falls Apart: Arrests and Trials

[64:43 – 77:20]

• All major players are arrested in November 2006; Andrew Carter, instrumental early on, avoids charges by testifying.
• Robin Knight, seeking a deal, gives up extensive evidence and incriminates all involved.
• At trial, Brooks’ defense tries to blame the actual killers (Benton and Vrooman), painting them as volatile, unreliable, and drug-addicted.
• Prosecutors paint Brooks as the vengeful orchestrator with a “short fuse” and violent past (including jailhouse assaults and past attempts to hire assaults for minor slights).

Victim Impact

• “To the coward that murdered my daddy, I hate you.” —Megan, Jack Reed’s daughter [72:53]
• “When you said nobody would miss him, you were wrong.” —Virginia Philippone [73:12]

---

Sentencing and Aftermath

[77:20 – End]

• John Brooks: Guilty of capital murder, conspiracy, and murder-for-hire. Receives two consecutive life sentences without parole.
• Robin Knight: Life without parole.
• Michael Benton: 33 years after pleading guilty, cooperates for sentence reduction.
• Joseph Vrooman: 17.5–35 years.
• Jesse Brooks: 15–30 years for conspiracy.
• Reed’s family sues Brooks for $50 million in wrongful death; none of Brooks’ property is recovered, and the original theft is never solved.

Closing Quote [79:30]: “This guy stood for two years and got his kid’s friends together and murdered a man… and he never got any of that shit back anyway.” —Jimmie

---

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Deerfield politics: “The town is filled with the nastiest political infighting… snobby snob zoning.” [09:49, James]

• On the murder plot: “You’re hiring a guy to murder for $10,000. You’re gonna get $10,000 quality on a murder.” [41:12, James]

• On the conspirators: “Ah, they’re all so dumb.” [64:39, Jimmie]

• On petty motivation: “Maybe the death penalty. Go relax in the desert, you fucking idiot. What’s wrong with you?” [70:10, James]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Town Profile & Context: [05:34 – 13:39]
• Brooks’ Backstory & Obsession: [13:44 – 22:29]
• Theft, Paranoia, and Start of Plot: [22:29 – 27:55]
• Failed Murder Attempt: [35:28 – 38:24]
• Years-Later Resurgence: [38:24 – 46:11]
• The Murder & Botched Cleanup: [46:12 – 53:13]
• Investigation & Arrests: [53:13 – 59:30]
• Trials & Sentences: [64:43 – 77:20]
• Aftermath & Reflections: [77:20 – End]

---

Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced, irreverent, and steeped in the hosts’ trademark dark humor. James and Jimmie weave in comic observations about small-town quirks, inept criminality, and the tragic waste of human life, never shying away from highlighting the stupidity—and preventable nature—of the murder at the story’s heart.

---

Summary

This episode of Small Town Murder details a crime born of misplaced suspicion and unchecked ego—a millionaire’s obsession leads a ragtag group into a fatal, years-in-the-making blunder, ending with all conspirators in prison, a good man dead, and the original crime (theft) never solved. The hosts spotlight the selfishness, incompetence, and absurdity of the plot, reminding listeners that sometimes, the most dangerous thing in a small town isn’t an outsider—it’s a neighbor with more money than sense.

Transcript

[National Debt Relief Advertiser]

Confronting high credit card debt can feel scary, but the good news is if you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt, financial relief options are now available. National Debt Relief is currently offering debt relief designed to reduce what you owe and put you on the fast track to becoming debt free. If you qualify for debt relief, you may be able to pay back less than what you owe and save thousands of dollars. Just visit nationaldebtrelief.com Imagine only paying one low monthly program payment you can afford and and saving money as you become debt free. National Debt Relief has already helped bring debt relief to over 550,000 US consumers, earning thousands of five star reviews and an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. You're stronger than your credit card debt. Let today be the day you start turning things around. Take the first step and visit nationaldebtrelief.com to see what debt relief you may qualify for. That's nationaldebtrelief.com we have the tech to

[James Petregallo]

get food delivered in 15 minutes, but we all have horror stories about buying tickets. The GameTime app gives fans the advantage. Get amazing tickets in just a few taps. Fees are included so what you see is what you pay. And the gametime guarantee means authentic tickets at the best price every time. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets to concerts, sports, comedy and more with GameTime. Download the GameTime app and create an account for $20 off your first purchase terms app. Hello everybody and welcome back to Small Town Murder Express.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah. Choo choo.

[James Petregallo]

Yay indeed, Jimmy. Yay indeed. My name is James Petregallo. I'm here with my co host.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I'm Jimmy Wisserman.

[James Petregallo]

Thank you folks so much for joining us today. All aboard the Murder Train pulling away from the station. Another crazy, crazy edition of Small Town Murder Express where we always say it's 10 pounds of murder in a two pound bag and it might be 20 pounds of murder in a two pound Bag this week. It's a wild, wild story and we'll get into it. Just one of those stories of someone that just didn't have to do what they did at all. It's pure stupidity.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It seems like that's a percent of these.

[James Petregallo]

I love it. I love the pure stupid ones though that are just like you really forced this for no reason. It's crazy stuff.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It happens.

[James Petregallo]

We'll get into all of that and more before we do. Check out shutupandgivememurder.com get your tickets for live shows first of all. Also another show Note here quick one on live shows. We will not be doing a 420 virtual live show. No, we're not doing that this year. We're going to work on. We want to have a Halloween one, though. We want to do that again. But the company, it's a long story, but the company that we were doing it through isn't doing it anymore.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's defunct.

[James Petregallo]

What do you want? Yeah, it's difficult. We're trying to come up with a solution. It just didn't work for April and we weren't going to force it. So there you go. But get your tickets for regular live shows. First of all. Next one up that has tickets available is May 2nd in Denver. That's got a few. And then we have Royal Oak, Michigan, outside of Detroit on May 30, which is also. That's getting close. So get your tickets right now. After that in September, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Dallas, San Jose, Sacramento, Tarrytown, Boston. Get your tickets now. They're going fast. So we do appreciate that. Thank you so much for the support there. Shutupandgivemerder.com Definitely listen to our other shows, Crime in Sports and your stupid opinions because hey, you're going to like them.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They're fucking great.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, we don't want you to listen to shows you don't like. Listen to these shows. You'll like them, we promise. So check that out also. Get yourself Patreon. Do yourself a favor. Patreon.com CrimeInSports Just like the name of that show that we do there. And what you get there is anybody $5 a month or above. You get everything we put out, you'll have everything, including soon as you subscribe, hundreds of back bonus episodes you've never heard before immediately upon subscription. Then new ones every other week. One one Crime in Sports, one Small Town Murder. And you just get them all. You just take it. Just take everything here. This week, what you're gonna get. For Crime in Sports, one of our favorite episodes to do old timey articles and ads, which is the craziest, descriptions of horrible things that happened back in the day from newspapers and then poetic even. And ads for things that are pure poison and things like that that they're like, no, you'll feel great. There you go. Then. For Small town Murder, the Corey Richens case we're gonna talk about is a Utah mom who killed her husband and wrote a book about it. Wrote a book to help her grieving children, which is crazy. I watched the entire trial and I can't tell you how crazy this whole situation Is it is wild. I can't wait to talk about that. I could do it off the top of my head. It's going to be fun. So get in there and do that. Patreon.com CrimeInSports is where you get all that and you get everything. We put out all the shows all ad free as well.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Ad ad free.

[James Petregallo]

And you get a shout out at the end of the regular show as well, where Jimmy will mispronounce your name while trying his hardest to get it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Credit words too.

[James Petregallo]

So he's trying. So there you go. That said, I think it's time to get into this. Let's all sit back, clear the lungs. What do you say here, arms to the sky and let's all shout. Shut up and give me murder. Let's do this, everybody.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Okay.

[James Petregallo]

Let's go on a trip, shall we?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

All right. We're going to New Hampshire this week, which is interestingly also one of the live shows we're doing on the road takes place in New Hampshire as well. This is right by there, actually. This is in southeastern New Hampshire. It's Deerfield, New Hampshire. Deerfield. One word. We'll find out exactly why it's called that. It's exactly what you would imagine, put it that way. It's about an hour 50 to Boston or about an hour to Boston. So very commutable to Boston. About 50 minutes to Mount Vernon, New Hampshire. Our last New Hampshire episode, episode 635, which was the murder and the miracle, which was crazy. That's when there's a woman who's pregnant and it's a mess. It's a miracle. Yes. That was with the Disciples of Destruction or whatever they called themselves. Wannabe teenage idiots. This is in Rockingham county. Area code 603. Population here, 4808. So little new Hampshiretown. Not a big place. Median house income, it's very commutable to Boston. So it's high. 112,931. It's 69,000 in the rest of the country. So they're doing pretty well around here. Median home cost, you better be doing well because it's high. $484,200 median. This is essentially a Boston suburb, is what it is.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

That's why southeastern New Hampshire is just Massachusetts with a little lower taxes. The homes are. They're beautiful too.

[James Petregallo]

Oh, they're great. It's really nice. A little bit of history. Deerfield was organized or was originally part of Nottingham, which sounds very English. And in 1756, though, the residents petitioned for organization of a separate parish but were denied. Yeah, okay. Now, this is pre Revolutionary War times. This is crazy. Then in 1765, there was a second petition pending to have their own place when two local hunters presented colonial governor Benning Wentworth with a deer. Oh, we got this for you. Yeah. Or it's a live one. Here's a pet for you.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

We don't know.

[James Petregallo]

It's a little deer puppy. There you go. So then permission was granted and Deerfield was incorporated. They called it Deerfield because they got a deer out in the field. So that's why it's Deerfield.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

One deer.

[James Petregallo]

A deer. There must be tons of them if they got one. And there probably is a lot of deer here, I would imagine as well. Here. Reviews of this town since. We've never been there. You've been there, but how much time have you really? Did you really look around?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

What do you give it? How many stars?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Days at a time? I mean, I may have spent around a week around this area in my

[James Petregallo]

entire life combined around. I like that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Around.

[James Petregallo]

Thereabout. Announced. Thereabout. Thereabout. Yeah. Anyway, this is. Here's five stars. Great community. I've met some really amazing people in this town. It's small, but also seems huge with lots of support for one another.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I don't know what that means.

[James Petregallo]

I don't know how that makes the town feel huge. Three stars. Deerfield is a great town to live in, and it's good if you wish to escape busy cities or towns. If wanted. There's a community that you can connect with that sounds good. If wanted. They're not breaking your door down. Nothing. But if you feel like you want

[Jimmy Wisserman]

to be a part of it, it's fine.

[James Petregallo]

No one will bother you.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It is New Hampshire.

[James Petregallo]

But if that's not your thing, then Deerfield is good for that, too. Oh, perfect. That's good. However, if you go to Ma's Cafe or to the one gas station, you're bound to see the same faces multiple times and have the owners know everyone by name. Yeah. The repetition in a small town. Whether you want to. No, people are not. You're gonna. It's one of those things. And then finally, one star. Oh, boy. The town is filled with the nastiest political infighting. So much underhanded and cruel bullying by the adults. This is a kid. This is a kid who doesn't like the adults fighting. Mom and dad are fighting again. They don't like it. I have witnessed deplorable behavior by leaders and residents Snobby snob zoning is being pushed. Snob zoning.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Snobby snob zoning.

[James Petregallo]

Well, snobby dash. So this is like a. This is almost like an outline. Snobby. And then here's why. Here's the underlying reasons. Snob zoning is being pushed. I guess zoning things a certain way. Okay. Expect people to warm up to you. But many are just looking to size up what politics you hold. School is not rated. Well, once some new immigrants to us had a flat tire going through the area. Closest I've known to town. Being diverse. It is. Some immigrants broke down on the way through. They're like, hey, look at that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, we're diverse as fuck now.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, it's rural, so family friendly in that. Room for playing some sports teams, but no real culture. Okay.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

All right.

[James Petregallo]

Things to do in this town. The Deerfield Fair, everybody. You bet it's on. We got a horse show, a farm horse competition. A cattle pull.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Cattle pull.

[James Petregallo]

Cattle pull very slowly. This is a race.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Pulling with the cattle or pulling the cat.

[James Petregallo]

The cattle are doing the pulling. Maybe they stop every once in a while, chew some shit. It's a very long race. It takes a long time.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They got some good to chew today.

[James Petregallo]

It's all afternoon. Then there's a horse pull, A pig scramble. A lot of animals. Pig scramble. An alpaca halter show. Are they in halter tops? Like little sexy alpacas?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Alpaca shoulder showing.

[James Petregallo]

What's going on? I'm an alpaca. The entertainment schedule. Lindsay and her puppet pals.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, boy.

[James Petregallo]

That's not a band. That's a lady. And puppets.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

That's not a country band.

[James Petregallo]

Nope. The Bryson Lang Juggling and Comedy Show. Oh, God. I would rather. I would rather pull a cow than watch that. That sounds awful. Jesus Christ. The Backtrack Band. Music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, you know a cover band.

[James Petregallo]

Old shit. Michael David, who does, quote, rockin country, rhythm and blues with a lot of class. None of this low class bullshit.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

None of this classless shit.

[James Petregallo]

The Flying Wallendas will be there, which I thought they were all.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Which ones?

[James Petregallo]

The Flying Wallendas. I thought they were all dead. Yeah, that was like. That's an act from, like the 30s or the 40s. There was a bunch, a whole family. But I guess now it's probably a brand name. They're probably not actual relatives or anything.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's like the Blue Man Group. They can cycle some.

[James Petregallo]

It doesn't matter. Just paintball.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It doesn't matter.

[James Petregallo]

How are you on a wire? Pretty Good. Well, guess what? You're a Wallenda now. Enjoy. That's it. That's all it is. Then there is the BJ Hickman, magician.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, boy.

[James Petregallo]

Oh, yeah, the Rockin Daddios. Wonder what they play. 50s shit. Alec Thomas, who does covers of your favorite folk and country songs. Oh, good. I get to hear James Taylor from someone who's in James Taylor.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Is there an original band with any original thoughts? No.

[James Petregallo]

Well, yeah. Bow Junction, a diverse blend of hard driving bluegrass. That's what you mean.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Or Bow Junction.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, it might be Bow Bo. Whatever. The Bottom Dollars, a trio of musicians you don't want to miss. And Extreme Air, a local jump rope team that performs across the country.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

How much air? Okay.

[James Petregallo]

Keep an eye out, by the way, for strolling performers like Pirate Man Dan. And I'm not a clown. Okay. There's more, but we can't get into it. We don't have time because this is a thick thing.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's very annoying.

[James Petregallo]

This is a thick thing. There's also a Sheep and wool festival the week after and an oddities and curiosities show, which sounds kind of interesting

[Jimmy Wisserman]

actually, but I like that. Let's talk some shit.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, let's talk about some murder. What do you say?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Here we go.

[James Petregallo]

All right. This is a crazy ass story. Here we go. Jesus Christ. We'll introduce you to a man first here. A man with a very interesting life trajectory. A man, a self made guy. This guy's like the American dream, basically. He has an idea and he follows it through and he makes a lot of money. He's born in Manchester actually here. His name is John Allen Brooks. A lot of people call him Jay, but then a lot of people also call him John. So we're going to call him John Brooks. He's born in 1951 in Manchester. Grew up very poor in Manchester.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's not a good place to be growing up poor.

[James Petregallo]

That is cold later on. This is a quote about his family and I'll tell you where it comes from later. John Brooks was not born into wealth. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His dad was born with club feet and a neurological disorder. What?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

That guy got laid?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, multiple times. His dad is like Eugene Levy in Best in show over here or something.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Two left feet.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. And he said his family scraped to get by. His father was a violent, alcoholic, club footed bastard apparently, and got laid all the time and somehow got laid.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Wow.

[James Petregallo]

Young Jay worked two jobs to support his family, even spending years making cotton gauze in a Manchester factory as a teenager.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Are you kidding? That shit?

[James Petregallo]

Making gauze. I don't know. He works the machine or something. He then took a third job with a band where he earned money. Some band that did the paying gigs. All the while he was trying to protect his mother and sister from his drunken father who would degrade them, spit at them and throw things at them.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, my God.

[James Petregallo]

Probably didn't chase them very well, I'd imagine, but from a spit. Cause you can't catch them and throw things. See what I mean? It's like he's not moving, but he's gonna try to lash out at you. In 1975, the father bought a gun with money he stole from John.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, my God.

[James Petregallo]

And threatened to kill his whole family and himself one night. Yeah. The father ended up in a mental hospital after that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, that's good.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Give him some help.

[James Petregallo]

So John enlisted in the military and served as a medic in the Navy. And this is during Vietnam?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, during a tough time.

[James Petregallo]

This is a tough time. He then went to the University of New Hampshire on the GI Bill. I mean, this is like he's going to inch his way up here where he meets his wife, his future wife, Lorraine. Now they're going to have a son named Jesse Brooks. He'll come up in this later. That's their only child. So he has one child, just Jesse. Just a male heir, and that's it. And he's done. That's all. So they raised him in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Now Jay builds an empire, or John, we'll call him John Builds an Empire here. He worked at a private orthotics company during the day.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What is that?

[James Petregallo]

Orthotics are the things you put in shoes.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, insoles.

[James Petregallo]

Insoles, yeah. Orthotics. But he would go home and tinker in his own little garage or whatever, his own little lab. And he designed an innovative sterilization tray for surgical instruments, is what he does.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Innovative sterilization tray?

[James Petregallo]

Yes.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It didn't exist yet.

[James Petregallo]

No. So he opened a company called Polyvac Vac. Poly Vac, Inc. A medical supply company that he and Lorraine ran out of their garage.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Okay.

[James Petregallo]

This is in 1985. Later on, he'll come up with the sterilization thing. But at first he was manufacturing plastic orthopedic braces. That's what he was making. This is before 3d printing and shit like that, too. This is different. He also had a private orthotics practice, and he was experimenting on the side with polymers that could withstand temperatures. High enough for sterilizing. So he was trying to figure it out to have reusable delivery trays holding surgical instruments for operating room procedures so they could actually be sterilized and used again rather than having to use steel things that can be sterilized.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, so it's like a plastic thing?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, polymers is what he's trying to put together. In 1989, he sells the orthotics practice, incorporated PolyVac and focused on the tray business. That's what he was trying to do. So they formed the trays and in 1994 began injection molding them into longer runs. All sorts of making a shitload of this stuff. I could give you the stuff that's in it using polyether ketone and polysulfone. I don't know.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's a plastic, right?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, some sort of polymer that makes a plastic. By 1994, the company was doing 20 million a year in business. In 1994, 20 million. That's a lot of money.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He's a very wealthy man.

[James Petregallo]

Yep. And Brooks was nominated to the board of directors of the Business and Industry association of New Hampshire.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

How about it?

[James Petregallo]

In 96, Polyvac constructed a Manchester, New Hampshire plant with 94,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 18,500 square feet of office space.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

How about that?

[James Petregallo]

A giant thing. Later that year, he sells the entire company, plant and everything for $46 million.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh my.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, 1996. $46 million. He is.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You don't work ever again. Right, Rich?

[James Petregallo]

Well, he's gonna do a lot of different things. He's gonna dabble in things from now on.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Really?

[James Petregallo]

He doesn't really have to commit himself to anything. Cause he's loaded. I mean, I'd dabble in a boat

[Jimmy Wisserman]

and never see anybody.

[James Petregallo]

No, he's got. He like dabbles in like real estate and shit. But what are you trying to do? What are you doing?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, you got $46 million.

[James Petregallo]

Calm down. Everybody calm down. You know what I'm saying? Calm down.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

A club footed man used to throw shit at you.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. And spit at you. I don't understand.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He got 46 million.

[James Petregallo]

I don't get why people can't just chill the fuck out. You got $46 million, you're in your 40s. Calm down, relax, fuck it. Do things that you like to do. But maybe he's. Some people like business though. That's what they're interested in. Making money is like a fun thing for them. You know what I'm saying? That's what they like. I don't understand it. That's not my leisure time. But that's what some people like.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Imagine making $46 million in something that nobody's ever gonna recognize you for. That's so amazing.

[James Petregallo]

That's great. Rich and anonymous is the greatest thing in the world. So 1997, he's named New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year. No shit. He made 46 million. That's a.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Who's the bigger one?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, he would attend White House small business summits as, I think, a delegate from New Hampshire. He's really doing well. He's thought of as this big, successful. He's the most successful one in the area. Yeah. The White House. No, no, the one in Concord, New Hampshire. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I don't know what the fuck they've got up there. They're inviting him to Washington.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, yeah, he's one of the national. I mean, as a small business guy, he's scored pretty good. He scored well. 2003, he wants to relocate with his family to Las Vegas. That's where he wants to go out and live in Vegas. Now he's tired of the winter, apparently. So John and Lorraine go into real estate. They're buying and selling properties in New Hampshire and Las Vegas. See, it seems like he's just into this shit. He hired people to manage properties. He employed people he trusted. He's that kind of guy. But he's very controlling and suspicious and he thinks everyone's stealing from him. And he's like that, too. One of the guys he hires as a manager of his properties is Robin Knight Guy. He's about his age, about a year younger than John. He's from Northampton, New Hampshire. He's a general contractor and does some real estate stuff himself. So he's a good guy to manage properties. He does well for himself here. I guess he's fine. But he does even better once he really hooks up with John, though. They collaborate on real estate ventures in New Hampshire, and after Brooks ends up in Vegas, they're still collaborating on stuff. And they're, you know, he's working on construction projects for him. So his company's growing based on knowing him.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's a good time to be in the real estate market in Vegas. Timing wise, this is fantastic.

[James Petregallo]

It's not bad at all. Yeah, yeah. 2000, early 2000s. In about five years, it's not going to be a good time to be there.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's going to suck pretty quick.

[James Petregallo]

Everything you have is going to be worth about a third of what you paid for.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

But strike while the iron taut and get the fuck out of there.

[James Petregallo]

And then it'll be real expensive again. That's how it works. September 2003. Now this is when he's moving a bunch of shit from New Hampshire to Las Vegas. He needs to load a big trailer full of shit. And we're talking Harleys and things like that. He's gonna load into a big trailer and take it across the country. So they need to hire somebody to help out.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Trucking company?

[James Petregallo]

No, no, just a local guy to help them load.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, they need to put the shit in.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, put the shit in. So they hire Jack Francis Reed Sr. Okay. Jack here. He's born in 1948. 3-27-48. He's from Cambridge, Massachusetts, but he lives in Derry his whole adult life, which isn't too far from here. 55 year old man, 55 year old Manish. And he does whatever needs to be done. He's known as a very helpful guy. He'll help you move, he'll help you do shit. And he's a good, like a handyman. He fixes what needs to be. It's broken and you know, he drives a pickup truck and has tools in it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And he's got tools.

[James Petregallo]

He's doing whatever he has to do. He's got a bunch of little jobs that put food on the table because he's got five kids. Oh, still five kids. I mean, I don't know their ages by this point. I don't know how many of them are like under his care at this point still. Yeah. He has a longtime girlfriend that he's been with for years and years and who is the mother of his two youngest children named Virginia Philippone. His daughter describes him as a hardworking, loving, dependable man. He appeared several times on the television game show Powerball, which I've never heard of.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I've never heard of it either.

[James Petregallo]

Don't know what that is, the game

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Powerball, but it's usually a dollar a ticket.

[James Petregallo]

I don't know if that's like a local game show in the 80s or something. We wouldn't know about that from New England, but September 29, 2003 is the job. It was basically a posting that John had put up at a Manchester storage facility saying I need to hand somebody to help me load shit. So Jack answers it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

A bulletin board posting.

[James Petregallo]

That's it. Yeah, need some help? You know, whatever for the afternoon. So John and his family are loading the belongings into this rental truck and a trailer at a storage facility in Londonderry. Jack Helps them load two Harley Davidson motorcycles, a trailer full of personal property, assorted belongings, including the ashes of John's deceased father in an urn.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

This is a very important trailer.

[James Petregallo]

This is a big load. You got motorcycles and urns. That's gonna be important to this guy. So they load it all up. Jack Reed goes home, he leaves, and the next morning the trailer's gone. Someone stole it. Stole it. They loaded it up, got it ready, and the next morning they were coming to pick it up and go, and next morning it was gone.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

So he took the whole trailer.

[James Petregallo]

Whole trailer gone. Total estimated value of the stolen goods was around $200,000.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Also priceless, because my family's ashes are.

[James Petregallo]

Dad's ashes are in there, which probably doesn't have a lot of resale value, but I would like to have them. Priceless, I'd like to keep them, but literally priceless. So he calls the police. John does. He told them, don't. One person to keep out of this as a suspect is the guy that helped me, Jack Reed. He didn't do it, so don't worry about him. Look outside of him. That's what he told the cops. The cops investigate, they get nothing out of it. Goes nowhere. That's that. The problem is here. John has his own ideas about who did it. And that is Jack absolutely fucking did it. Yeah. And he told the cops, don't investigate him.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Cause I'm gonna investigate him.

[James Petregallo]

I'm gonna find out and I don't want you guys getting in my fucking way. Basically there. Now at this point, his son Jesse is living in Beverly Hills. I just picture him like California, living off his dad's money, being like a playboy at the pool, you know what I'm saying? Just, you could totally picture what's going on here with Jesse.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

How old is Jesse at this point? 20 something?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, he's in his 20s, 25, 27, something like that. So anyway, September 30, 2003, this is the day after the job, after, when the trailer's been stolen. Jesse called his childhood friend Andrew Carter and asked him to go to the warehouse to help his father. Okay. So he goes to the warehouse to help him and he brings along a guy named Michael Benton, who's another close friend of Jesse's.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Sure.

[James Petregallo]

So we have Andrew Carter and Michael Benton. So they find John Brooks at the warehouse. In the words of Carter, he was, quote, ranting and raving, pacing, red faced and furious. John Brooks was that freaking out. He told them about the theft and he told them, I know who did it? It's that son of a bitch Jack Reed that helped me yesterday. And then he told them just straight out, we're gonna kill him. I want him killed. I want Jack Reed dead.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And I need you to know this,

[James Petregallo]

cuz me having $50 million and moving out to it's not enough. I have to really focus here.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And I need a child. Well, at least somebody much younger than me, my son's age, to know all about my plans.

[James Petregallo]

Well, not know about him. They're gonna carry it out.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, he's gonna be a part of it.

[James Petregallo]

That's what he's trying to do. He's telling them I'm gonna kill them and you're gonna help me. That's what this job is. That's what Jesse told you to come here for, to help me out with something. It's killing this guy. Okay.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's a hit.

[James Petregallo]

Hey everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you where to find the best stuff that you've been looking [e-mail]. absolutely. I'm always looking for like different weird off things, you know what I mean? Something different. Something that's not just some, you know, mass produced thing out there. Looking for something unique. Like I like like a unique, like a leather jacket that looks cool and I like look through Poshmark and they have all this cool stuff on there that you can find. Oh my God. They have all the cool, like just different things. And great brands too. Luxury stuff, Louis Vuitton, Prada, coach, all this stuff, all the real big brands, they have it all. And it's amazing because you'll think something is gone forever. You'll never find it. And there it is on Poshmark. It's awesome. Poshmark is the leading fashion resale marketplace shaped by real people and real style. Millions of new and pre loved items from daily wardrobe staples to vintage and luxury fashion archive worthy pieces you thought you'd missed forever. Current essentials one of one vintage finds. It's all there. That's the thing. And that's a fact. You'll find all the brands on there that are great. There's some good. I found a really leather jacket I found was really cool on there. Number one. They have all these great brands too. Just this good stuff that you wouldn't think you'd find in a place like this. It's so good. And when you're ready for a closet refresh, you can earn real money by selling the pieces you're ready to Part with reaching more than 80 million users on the platform. I'm telling you, you get on there, it's the hunt is so great. The hunt feels amazing. And then the better part is at the end, you find what you're looking for sometimes and maybe some stuff you didn't even know you were looking for. I'm telling you, that jacket I found is so cool. And I couldn't find that in any store anywhere. This is great. So new deals and styles are listed every day. So don't wait. Download the Poshmark app and use the code Small town Murder. When you sign up to get $10 off your first purchase or shop now at poshmark.com smalltown murder and get $10 off your first purchase. That's P O-H-M-A-R-K.com smalltownmurder now back to the show. Hey, everybody. Just going to take a quick break from the show to tell you the best home security available out there. SimpliSafe.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

SimpliSafe.com, s I M, P L I Safe.com Absolutely.

[James Petregallo]

There is a big difference between traditional home security and Simplisafe. It's just number one, it's so easy when you get it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

You can have the whole system up, installed on your own and live stream. So easy to do it online. There's apps and all this in like an hour. You can do this.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

Which is less time than normally people would take. Just in the window waiting for a technician for they have the cameras and they can see what's going on outside before you. Even before you know what's going on. While you're in your house sleeping, they could be yelling at someone through your system telling them to get out of here. The cops can be called and you're like, what's going on now? It's great. They take it, they take the initiative and they go after it before there's a problem. They make it so there's not going to be a problem for you. It is so good. We really, really love it. It's easy to get secured. You can easily customize a system that's right for your [e-mail] and it ships to your door in just a few days. With an app, guided setup and no drilling required, you can install and arm your system under an hour. No need to wait for technicians or any of that. And it's not just a camera. It's a comprehensive ecosystem of sensors, cameras for inside and out and 24. Seven professional monitoring in the event of a break in, fire or flood, Simplisafe's agents are ready to take action. No long term contracts. There's no lock ins, no hidden cancellation fees. Simplisafe earns your business by keeping you safe, not by trapping you in a contract. And that's great, too. Their pricing is also really good. 24. 7 monitoring for a fraction of what traditional brands should charge you. And they were named America's best customer service by Newsweek. And over 5 million people trust SimpliSafe every day. And U.S. news and World Report ranked them the best home security system of 2026. We also rank it that way as well. We want you to experience the same peace of mind that we do, which is why we've partnered with SimpliSafe to offer an exclusive discount to our listeners. Right now, you can get free 50% off your new system by visiting simplisafe.com small that's half off at simplisafe.com small S I M P L I safe.com small there's no safe like Simplisafe.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Now back to the show.

[James Petregallo]

So rather than these guys going, hey, I thought I was like moving some stuff or helping you clean up a garage, I'm gonna go now. They were like, so what are we doing?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

So who's got the. Who's. Whose car are we driving?

[James Petregallo]

So it's John. And John drives Carter and Benton out to an isolated old gravel pit in Hudson, New Hampshire, where Carter, the other guy there, stored his landscaping equipment. Brooks opened up the trunk of his Lincoln and inside he had a 20 gauge shotgun and some shells. He hands that to Carter and he said, shoot Jack with this.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You are also going to shoot somebody?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. You're going to shoot them with this gun. As a matter of fact, very particular. He added that the gun was unregistered and untraceable. So this is the right one to use. He said, shoot it, leave it wherever the hell you want. He told them that they would be taken care of financially if they complete the job. Don't worry, you know me, I'm loaded. So over the next several months. This isn't. Right now. I'm super pissed. Go kill him tonight some time at your leisure.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

This is.

[James Petregallo]

We're going to plan this out. Eventually you're going to use this shotgun, but we're going to plan. How long would you be mad for? Like murderously rageful over this?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

About a week.

[James Petregallo]

After that you'd be like, yeah, you know what? Who cares? I'm in Vegas. It's Hot out here. Whatever. I'm really into grandel.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Enraged you, though.

[James Petregallo]

I'm really into video poker now. Yeah, you know, whatever the hell it is. So over the next several months, the plan evolves and it becomes crazier and crazier and crazier. This guy, I will have to say right here, does not need to do this. No, he really doesn't. This 200 grand, as much as that'll piss you off, it's not going to break him. It's not going to ruin him. Changing a thing. Not even going to notice it. No, he might notice Dad's ashes aren't on the mantle, but other than that, you can get another Harley and his

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Harleys aren't in the garage, but you can insurance those and get new ones.

[James Petregallo]

That's. I'm sure they were insured. Now they have a new scheme. Now you're not gonna just pop up and shoot him with a shotgun. You're gonna kidnap him, then you're gonna torture him with a butane torch. Get my shit back and razor blades. You're gonna have a full Marcellus Wallace on him here.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah. And nothing about get my shit back.

[James Petregallo]

No, no, that's to torture him, to find out where the shit is. Oh, obviously, yeah. That's what he wants. This is questioning. This is interrogation tactics. Then kill him afterwards because, you know, because he stole. They said, quote, we're pretty certain that we wouldn't ever be able to let him go after that. You know, he'd probably say something to somebody about being tortured with a butane torch. So they plan. Have several planning sessions. John Brooks pays Carter and Benton each an initial $5,000 retainer. Like they're lawyers now.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Like they're lawyers. Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

They held multiple planning meetings. He's really pushing them to hurry this along. His son Jesse, during visits from California, also encourages them that this is a good idea.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Terrific.

[James Petregallo]

Early November 2003. So months have gone by.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, my God.

[James Petregallo]

Jesse Brooks is in New Hampshire. Andrew Carter drove a group to Jack Reed's house on Rockingham Road in Londonderry at one in the morning. Oh, they're gonna roll up on his house here. The group includes Jesse Brooks, Michael Benton, John Brooks and Jesse's ex girlfriend. For some reason. I don't know why you would take your ex girlfriend to a murder.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I'm trying to give her back.

[James Petregallo]

Unless we're gonna get a two for one today or something. I don't know why anybody would want to bring an ex to their murder. So Carter drops Jesse and Benton off Near the house, Jesse has a big Maglite flashlight and Benton has an aluminum baseball bat. This is the plan. Now, the plan is to use these items to hit Jack.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, we're not using the flashlight for illumination. We're gonna beat him with it.

[James Petregallo]

Well, till he gets here. Then I'll use it as a club. You can turn it around and beat him and then the bat too. And we'll beat him and then basically we'll kidnap him from there. Maybe tie him up, throw him in the trunk, take him somewhere, torture him, find out where the bikes are. Yeah, and then it's fucking possession. Possibly grinding ashes. Possibly after that. Yeah, Miller time.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

So you know how it goes. So Benton stayed behind a truck for cover and Jesse Brooks crept to one side of Reed's house and kicked it loudly. Just started kicking the outside of the house. That'll draw attention. Jack Reed comes out. He sees figures moving in the darkness. They're moving toward him from a good distance. What they don't realize is he came out with a goddamn gun. And he starts firing at the people moving in his yard. He just starts fucking shots. Jack Reed into the yard. Just boom, boom, boom. They obviously run for cover. These guys get in the car, they take off. They're like, holy shit. That didn't work that way. This is not good. Then he called the police. Jack did too. He calls the cops. Now the intruders have fled and the police deploy a dog. They track a scent through the woods. But they don't get any success.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They lose it. Got him.

[James Petregallo]

So nobody is hurt. Jack Reed is cleared of any wrongdoing. It's self defense. There's prowlers at one o' clock in the morning. So that's how it goes. So the group, the hit squad, decides we should probably back off for a while.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

That guy's got guns.

[James Petregallo]

Well, not only that, he involved the police. So anything that happens around right now is probably gonna. We're gonna look bad for it. Too risky. So Jesse goes back to California. John goes to Vegas. The Carter guy destroys the shotgun just in case. So everything goes over. Everything kind of dies down.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Start over.

[James Petregallo]

Ground zero, a year and a half later. Okay, Okay. A year and a half later.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Dude, 18 months.

[James Petregallo]

It's been almost two years. What are we doing?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They haven't found any of the shit either?

[James Petregallo]

No, they haven't found anything.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Shocking.

[James Petregallo]

So over the next year and a half, John Brooks and Andrew Carter have conversations every now and then about killing Reed. How do we do this? How are we gonna do it? August of 2004, John Brooks, Lorraine, the wife, and Jesse Brooks all go to the FBI's Portsmouth office to report their suspicions about Jack Reed, providing a written chronology of events and all this. Basically that he's a thief and he's probably a fence for stolen items and look for cars and whatever the fuck. He probably has a whole operation, a whole chop shop.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They're ratting him out to the FBI.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, that's the first thing they do. That's August 2004. Then June of 2005, Jesse Brooks calls Michael Benton and asked whether his father could get in touch with him or not. So he said John was going back to New Hampshire, and Jesse said he's coming back to take care of his problem with Reed. So he's going to get a hold

[Jimmy Wisserman]

of you two years after the fact now?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, two years later. And Michael Benton said, I'm in. Let's do it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Two years Fucking, yeah.

[James Petregallo]

Around the same time, John Brooks met a guy named Joseph Vrooman, V R O O M A N who was from Whitwell, Tennessee, and ended up in Las Vegas. Okay. This guy, apparently he had known Robin Wright. Apparently, yeah. They met. They were both in the Navy, I think, because I know Vrooman was in the Navy. And they were both looking. Vrooman was looking for work in Vegas. And he met Knight briefly a number of years before through a mutual friend, and heard that Knight was working as a general contractor and flipping houses. So Vrooman called Knight to ask about getting some work. And he met Knighton Brooks at a casino where they watched a Patriots game. Because they're all from New Hampshire, I guess.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, yeah, they're watching a lot of that.

[James Petregallo]

Following this, Knight tells Vrooman that, yes, I do have work for you, but it's not in construction or flipping houses. How'd you like to be involved in a murder squad? How's that sound? So Vrooman said, all right, I'm in. Why not?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I'm in.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, sure. The guile of the Patriots. Going for it on fourth down and giving me courage. So this. They were meeting up at the Oasis Bar O Aces. Oasis, yeah. Okay. In Las Vegas. And they were discussing this. Brooks offered him $10,000 to help with a problem.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

This is. Why do people.

[James Petregallo]

This is all. This is what I mean. Unforced error. All of this is unforced error. Whenever I say don't force shit. This is forcing it. You're forcing it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You're hiring a guy to murder for $10,000. You're gonna get $10,000 quality on a murder.

[James Petregallo]

That's it. If you feel friction in the universe against what you're doing, it's probably cause you're forcing it. And you should probably just let shit happen the way it happens.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Stop pushing so hard, man.

[James Petregallo]

All of my biggest fuck ups in life have been from forcing it, just forcing it. And then things that just happen, like these podcasts are the things that work, you know what I mean?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Everything else it's like, oh, okay, yeah,

[James Petregallo]

forcing it, forcing it, forcing it. So yeah, comedy is the only thing that hasn't been forcing it and it's the only thing that's worked. So there you go.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Well, there you go.

[James Petregallo]

So Brooks, Jesse. So John and Jesse and Vrooman meet at Brooks Las Vegas house. They make plans. Jesse is suggesting ways to subdue Jack Reed. He warned Vrooman that Reed carried a gun. So he said, make sure my dad doesn't get hurt, not don't get yourself killed. Keep an eye on my dad for me if you would.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Protect the old man. Also listen, don't steal from.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What are the ideas for subduing him? If it's anything short of unsuspecting tiger net, what else are we gonna do?

[James Petregallo]

Poof, it falls on him. Maybe some sticks over a big hole in the ground.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What are we gonna do? Cause this man's carrying, he's packing. How are we subduing a man that's got a gun?

[James Petregallo]

We're not sure if he's packing all the time though or if he's only packing. He just snatched it up at 1 in the morning. Cause there's people outside. But he's got a gun and he's not afraid to use it. Obviously. Jesse told the group that he'd be taking his mother out to dinner on the day if they're planning the murder. So he's gonna use his credit card to establish an alibi. He told Vrooman, make sure the old man doesn't do anything stupid. Meaning my dad.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, my dad.

[James Petregallo]

So Vrooman used $200 from John Brooks to buy a stun gun, handcuffs and pepper spray, which is a pretty good call for 200 bucks back then. Brooks then mailed the items to Michael Connors, who is the owner of a Deerfield farm and a friend of Brooks and chief financial officer at PolyVac.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

A stun gun and all of that shit for under $200. A stun gun is like $300.

[James Petregallo]

Not bad. I mean this is in Vegas too, where he probably got it at a pawn shop or something.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Shitty ones too.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. June 18, 2005. John Brooks flies to New Hampshire and so does Vrooman. They go together over the next several days. They meet with Michael Benton, who's back in the mix now, and with Robin Knight, who was already in New Hampshire. And they need Robin for something very particular.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, what's Robin gotta do?

[James Petregallo]

Robin is really good at making phone calls and bullshitting people.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He's a police caller.

[James Petregallo]

He's good at that. He could sound very.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Puts on some voices.

[James Petregallo]

He just sounds very believable over the phone for some reason. So Knight, Robin Knight purchases a disposable prepaid cell phone. Burner phone. The phone was used. It's only gonna be used to contact Jack Reed. Okay? Now, Robin Knight called Reed multiple times, posing as a man going through a divorce who needed cheap moving and hauling help. I don't have a lot of money, but I need help. Yeah. His alias that he uses is Charlie Was. W A S. What? Why would you use Charlie was as a name? I have no fucking idea. He could have been anybody on earth. Any name he wanted. Charlie Cunningham, Charlie Smith. He could literally pick the name Charlie was. Okay, we don't know was he? Well, was he? So he told Reid, I can't afford much, so please don't bring anybody with you because I won't be able to afford to pay them. So come alone and help me move. Basically, I can only afford one guy.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Hi.

[James Petregallo]

Hi. I'm suspicious. Come along.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What's your name again? Charlie Wise.

[James Petregallo]

Charlie Wise. Oh, that's a normal name. So he described the location as a horse farm in Deerfield. And they arrange a time and a date. Now, Reed does these type of jobs all the time. These strangers hire him for a day's labor, and he does it all the time. So he thought nothing of it?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Sure.

[James Petregallo]

He agreed to come alone. He said, I'll be there in the morning. Now, in the days leading up to this, Knight, John Brooks and Vrooman are all driving around Deerfield looking for places to dump a body they're scouting.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Okay.

[James Petregallo]

They purchase zip ties, a tarp, gloves, trash bags and duct tape.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

All at separate locations, probably, I'm sure.

[James Petregallo]

All at the same one with a credit card. I'm sure these morons. So Robin Knight suggested using Saran Wrap to smother the victim. A method that would cause death without bloodshed and be easier to clean up. We'll just wrap his head in Saran Wrap and he'll die, and then we can just throw him out.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

If you're capable of watching that happen? You're a sick fuck.

[James Petregallo]

That's a sick. Yeah. How do you not go? Okay, Rip the fucking Saran Wrap. This is crazy. That's what I mean. So this farmhouse is a property that Brooks has access to through his friend Michael Connors, who he mailed all the shit to. It's isolated. It's in the middle of nowhere. Connors also picked up Vrooman and Brooks from the airport as well. So, June 27, 2005, the murder squad awakens in Portsmouth, had breakfast at a condominium, and then they loaded the van and went to pick up Robin Knight. They all get to the Deerfield horse farm, getting ready for Jack Reed to arrive. As they're walking around finalizing their murder plan, they're literally walking around Barnes going, okay, then we'll put him here and then we'll do this. Okay, yeah, it's a walkthrough. It's like they're blocking for fucking. A dress rehearsal or something. We're going to do this and all that. So it was almost. They're like, they had it all ready, and they're like, all right, it's going to work. And then a woman who kept her horse at the property showed up unexpectedly. And they're like, fuck, what do we do here?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, a variable.

[James Petregallo]

So Benton said, we were panicking, but John Brooks told her to leave because they were going to do something and they couldn't have anybody here. And the lady said, okay, and left.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

We got something to do here. No questions. All right?

[James Petregallo]

She just left. And then they were like, we'll go through with it. Even though we just have a person that we oddly shooed away who might remember this. We'll go through with it. It's fine. We got this.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Who can identify us?

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

His eyes and shit.

[James Petregallo]

So Jack Reed shows up, knocks on the door of the farmhouse. Robin Knight stands at the door of the farmhouse, shakes his hand. Hey, nice to meet you. Offers him a glass of water. He takes a sip, starts walking Jack down a long hallway toward the barn. Come on, this way. All right. Now, Michael Benton is hiding in a closet. And Vrooman is stationed inside one of these rooms. Going down the hallway at the end of the hall, Vrooman jumps out and shoves Jack Reed into the closet where Michael Benton is hiding. Okay. Now Reed tries to run. Vrooman tackles him. At this point, Benton going against all plans of, you know, holding him, finding

[Jimmy Wisserman]

out information, finding out where our shit

[James Petregallo]

is, just takes a three pound sledgehammer and begins bashing Jack Reed. In the head with it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Where's my shit? Stop doing that.

[James Petregallo]

None of that. This guy just goes crazy. I mean, multiple blows. Reed goes down. He's not moving.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Three pound sledge.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, that's heavy in the head. That's crazy. So they notice he's still alive, though. So they. Knight and Vrooman say he's still alive. So they tell Benton to come back in. Benton returns, and they're like, well, hit him again if you're gonna kill him. He's still alive. So he bashes him with the sledgehammer in the head again. They then drag him into the center of the barn. Robin Knight then hands Saran Wrap to Vrooman. Like that's gonna do anything at this point in time. We're past that point of the Saran Wrap, dude. Vrooman attempts to wrap it around Reid's head to contain the bleeding. But there's so much blood, and it's all in the Saran Wrap.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

The Saran Wrap doesn't stick.

[James Petregallo]

It's getting, like, clumped up. And it's not working. None of it's working. And it's, like, coming up. And you can't get Saran Wrap over a goddamn Tupperware of leftover chicken, for Christ's sake. You're not gonna get it around this guy's bleeding head.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And if it gets wet, it's fucked.

[James Petregallo]

It's completely screwed. Yeah, it's a mess after that. It's not sticking to anything. So anyway, that's what's going on. They're doing that. That fails. So Knight gets the plastic tarp out that still doesn't contain the blood. There's still blood going everywhere. So Brooks picks up a sledgehammer. At this point, John Brooks does. And everybody says he then strikes Reed in the chest multiple times, once really, really, really hard with the sledgehammer. And he said to everybody, stop the heart. Stop the bleeding.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh.

[James Petregallo]

So while true is a pretty weird thing to say.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Is it still going? Was he still alive?

[James Petregallo]

I guess, yeah. That's why he was bleeding so much. Cause usually once the heart stops, he'll bleed a lot less. So at that point, Jack dies on the floor, gone dead. So then is it worth it? If you're standing over this guy, you've got nothing back. You still don't know where your father's ashes are. Yeah. What did you accomplish here?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You didn't do anything except exact revenge. Yeah, but you exacted revenge on somebody that doesn't even know what they're getting revenge for. Cause they didn't even know. Right?

[James Petregallo]

They have no idea. You didn't even accuse them. You didn't even go accuse him formally of doing anything. So he doesn't know what the fuck you're upset about. It's crazy, right?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He doesn't know. Vrooman or this other guy doesn't even

[James Petregallo]

know half these people. All these people except for John, because Jesse's not there. So all four men then wrap Jack's body in plastic sheeting and duct tape. They place the body in the bed of Reed's own pickup truck and they cover it with rocks and brush.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Okay?

[James Petregallo]

Okay. Now that afternoon. Evening. Knight and Vrooman drive the truck with his body in the back toward Massachusetts. Brooks and Benton follow in John Brooks's minivan. Hey, if you're driving a minivan, you're not up for a murder plot. First of all, you're not in. Not in. I got a Ford Windstar and I'm ready to party. Is not something you do in 2003.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's a good chance that that's what it was.

[James Petregallo]

That's probably what it was.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Or an Astro van.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, that's exactly right. Now Knight deliberately routes through the back roads to avoid tolls and electronic records, which is smart. They get to a target parking lot in Saugus, Massachusetts. There, Knight and Vrooman park the truck at the end of a row in the target parking lot. It's about 40 miles away from Derry. One of the two men is observed on surveillance camera going to the back of the truck to check that the tarp is secure. Then both men exit the truck and get into the minivan. The minivan drives away.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

Security cameras at target captured everything. The arrival of Reed's truck, followed by the minivan. Two figures exiting the truck, checking the tarp, getting in the van. It's all on fucking video, first of all.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh boy.

[James Petregallo]

Then they have to clean up. So Brooks drives to his Newcastle condominium with Vrooman and the two threw the handcuffs, the hammer and other items into the water from the bridge behind the nearby Wentworth by the Sea Hotel. Okay. Then they made several trips. John Brooks, Robin Knight and Vrooman all back to that Deerfield farmhouse. They ripped out the blood stained walls and flooring from the closet and barn area. They transport the debris to the property of a man named Burt Seaver so it can be burned. Then they feel like we should probably move the body. That's a bad place. We left it.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

The target parking lot.

[James Petregallo]

The target parking lot. But they can't, you know, why? They can't.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Because the cops already found it.

[James Petregallo]

No, they lost the keys to the truck. They can't find. They don't know where they are. They lost the truck keys.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What?

[James Petregallo]

They can't move the truck. It's stuck there. Now, this is what I mean. This is a. One of these people made $50 million in their life, and this is the biggest group of morons. This is like Fargo. This is fucking Adam. Yeah. You don't have the key. Ah, for fuck's sake. This makes Fargo people look brilliant from that movie. It really does.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah. What'd you throw in the seacoast? Well, maybe the keys.

[James Petregallo]

I don't know. I thought it was handcuffs. It was jingling and jangling. I can't tell you.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It was just hard things. And I did that.

[James Petregallo]

Ghent. And also when they thought about it, it was daylight and they worried about the cameras, so they decided, we'll just leave it there.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, my God, they're idiots.

[James Petregallo]

So John, Brooks, Vrooman and Knight all fly back to Las Vegas, thinking it's all good. Upon return, Brooks gives Vrooman $2,500 and acknowledges, I owe you more. Don't worry, I got you covered. June 29th. A few days earlier, Reed's family is searching for him. Yeah, he has children and people who love him. He's not just five. Yeah, he's not some fucking transient who they picked up off the railroad tracks or something. This guy's got a family.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He's got work and family.

[James Petregallo]

He was last heard from on June 26 at 9pm when he talked with his daughter Megan. And it was the last time he had a conversation with a family member. She's the one who reported her father missing. She hangs up flyers with pictures of him and his truck and everything like that. July 5th. A woman from Massachusetts calls and leads police to the truck. How long?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Now?

[James Petregallo]

This is July 5th. So, yeah, a week. Eight days. Yeah, eight days. Jack Reed's been missing. His family was frantic, and he's a reliable guy. He answers his phone. He's always got it on him for jobs. He comes home at the end of the night. It's just not like him. So they notice the pickup truck. Investigators look in the bed. They know it's a missing man's pickup truck. And they find a body wrapped in plastic sheeting, which has been sitting outside in June for a week. So think about. People are smelling that. Yeah, the bugs, the smells, I mean, man. So they. It's described later on in the medical exam as the victim sustained Blunt force to the front of his forehead. There was a hole on the side of his head the size of a softball. Yeah, or, you know, a sledgeball or

[Jimmy Wisserman]

a three pound sledge.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, his chest had actually been caved in as well.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Jesus. He hit him hard.

[James Petregallo]

Eviscerated this poor bastard with a sledgehammer. The facial damage was so severe that visual identification was impossible. They needed dental records to confirm it's him. I mean, they were pretty sure it was him. It was his truck. He's a height, weight, age and all that shit. But still. Now, also in the truck, in the cab of his truck, is his logbook, which is his record of clients and contact information and job hours. There's DNA on the stick shift that doesn't belong to him, but matched. No criminal database. No criminal in the database at the time. Surveillance footage from the lot showing the truck arriving and people getting out in the minivan. Because now they know to look at that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, because that's where we found the truck.

[James Petregallo]

So now the cops know at least three people were involved because they see someone's gotta be driving the truck. And two people got out and got in it. So there has to be at least three.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Somebody's got to drive the minivan.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, that's. Yeah, the minivan. Because they got out, got it in the minivan. So they also pulled his phone records, and one of the last calls he received came from a prepaid burner phone.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Uh huh.

[James Petregallo]

Okay, so they look into all this. They're looking into the surveillance footage, phone records, DNA. And the prepaid phone trail pointed toward Brooks's circle. That's how they kind of got into that whole thing. So they found. They started looking through Brooks's connections. They found Joseph Vrooman in Vegas, already connected to Brooks. They found Michael Benton, who's a childhood friend of Jesse Brooks, who'd known father and son for years. And they find Robin Knight, who is Brooks's associate.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Sure.

[James Petregallo]

Phone records. They show call logs showing contacts between Brooks, Jesse Benton, Vrooman and Knight in the days and weeks leading up to and after the murder. That's when the most activity is going on between all these people.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, and they're all talking.

[James Petregallo]

They subpoena bank records and get money transfers where Jesse brooks had wired $400 to Benton in late July 2005, then $800 in August. And they said Benton was traveling to Las Vegas where he told Jesse Brooks directly that he killed Reed for your family. So I need my money. And Jesse told him that he knew. Also a Guy named Michael Small, who was a carpenter who worked for Robert Knight, testified later on that months before the murder, December 2004, Jesse and John Brooks told him that they owned two motorcycles that were stolen and that the person responsible would get their day. Okay, so Knight. The cops end up talking to Knight first. For some reason, he must look like the weak link.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Well, he's getting payment. So you go to that guy first

[James Petregallo]

and he is the weak link. Because right away he's very willing to make a deal. The problem is he sits for three separate proffer sessions with the prosecution. Now, a proffer session is where you give a bunch of information that they can't use against you if the deal goes through. Basically. Now, there's different types of proffer sessions. There's one they have like, they call it Queen for a Day, basically, where you can say anything and no matter what the fuck happens, they can't use it against you. Okay, If a deal doesn't work, they can't use it against you. But that all has to be worked out in writing prior to this. And some reason this isn't all worked out in writing, that it can't be used against him. So he gives several proffer sessions, but then the deal falls through and they have all of his statements and they use them against him.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Is that legal?

[James Petregallo]

If it's whatever the agreements were, if they don't have an agreement, if his lawyer didn't say, I want in writing that it's queen for a day and you don't fucking get to use any of this, then it's all fair game at that point.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

So I'm going to with like so much of a queen for the day. I'm picking a drag queen.

[James Petregallo]

Name everything. I'm getting a dress. I'm coming in. I'm coming in in a corset. That's how fucking queen I'm going to be for the day. My tits are going to be popping. So the police and Fish and Game divers recover the handcuffs, but not the other items that were thrown away over the bridge because he told them where it was.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And those rivers run at a good clip over there. So you throw something in there, that shit may as well be in the ocean.

[James Petregallo]

There's a lot of rocks it could be under. Rocks it's hard to deal with. Now Robin Knight is held in Rockingham County House of Correction awaiting everything. He's placed in the same housing unit as Henry Belmar, who's a man with a huge criminal history. Knight believed that he could trust Belmar and had numerous conversations with him in which he made multiple incriminating statements about the Reeve murder. So he's told his cellmate and the prosecutor all about it so far.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

And Belmar has so many convictions and charges against him, he's got all the reason in the world to want to talk.

[James Petregallo]

Yep. So he talks. He goes and meets with detectives and says he's willing to cooperate. And he'll end up testifying that Knight had described the murder. Details that aren't publicly known and were consistent with other accounts. Because Benton and Vrooman are gonna go, Robin Knight told you that? Well, let me tell you what really happened, cuz I really want a deal. Hey, everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show and tell you a better way to shop for clothes with quints.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Quince.com Q U I-N-C e.com Absolutely.

[James Petregallo]

This is the time of year where you got to rethink what's in your closet. What do I have? What do I have to put out? I've been putting big coats on and stuff all winter. Now I gotta actually show myself and I gotta show my clothes. What are they? And you know, I want to keep fewer things, but better things. I don't want a closet full of junk. Basically pieces that are well made, pieces you can wear all the time. That's why we keep coming back to Quince. The fabrics feel elevated, the fits are thoughtful, and the pricing actually makes sense. Quince makes high quality everyday essentials using premium materials like 100% European linen and their insanely soft flow knit activewear fabric, which is really good, by the way. It's soft, it feels great. Their men's linen pants, which Jimmy has, we love those linen pants. We love that. Yes, they're awesome. And their shirts are lightweight, breathable and comfortable. Basically the perfect layer for spring. The pants strike the right balance between laid back and refined. So you look put together without looking like you're trying too hard. You know, nobody wants that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They're great for on the lake, on a sitting on a boat, sitting on a beach. They're great water pants.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, great water pants. And they're flown at activewear, moisture, wicking, anti odor, and so soft enough that you'll actually want to wear it all day. And the best part is their prices. The prices are 50 to 60% less than similar brands. And you go, well, how do they make quality stuff that's that cheap? Well, very easy. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. So you're getting quality, but you're not paying some salesman's salary. It's great. It's exactly what you want with your clothes. So you're paying for quality, not brand markups and advertising and all that kind of thing. Everything is designed, designed to last and make getting dressed easier. We shop everything at Quints. We get packages all the time from Quints whenever we're going on the road. I'm looking on quints for new stuff for that trip and Sarah buys her stuff on Quint's. We love it. You don't need to shop anywhere else when you have quints. It's fantastic. So refresh your wardrobe with quints. Go to quints.com smalltown murder for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. Go to Q U I n c e.com Smalltown Murder for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com SmalltownMurder now back to the show.

[Jerry Insurance Advertiser]

Are you noticing your car insurance rate creep up? Even without tickets or claims, you're not alone. That's why there's Jerry, your proactive insurance assistant. Jerry handles the legwork by comparing quotes side by side from over 50 top insurers so you can confidently hit buy. No spam calls, no hidden fees. Jerry even tracks rates and alerts you when it's best to shop. Drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year. Don't settle for higher rates. Download the Jerry app or visit Jerry AI Libsyn today. That's J E R R Y AI Libsyn Livein is a well being app

[Jimmy Wisserman]

that helps you switch off emotional autopilot and build a healthier relationship with yourself. When you're stressed, open the app for a quick three to five minute guided reflection to spot triggers and respond with clarity. Co created with health professionals, Liven's bite sized techniques help you regulate your emotions and understand your patterns. Visit thelivein.com truecrime to take the quiz and get up to 70% off your personalized plan. Again, that's theliven.com truecrime. Ah, they're all so dumb.

[James Petregallo]

Everybody turns on John Brooks though.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah, he's fucked up. Oh really?

[James Petregallo]

So November 2006. Everybody's arrested that day for the actual murder. John Brooks in Las Vegas, Robin Knight in New Hampshire. Benton Vrooman and Jesse Brooks also arrested Andrew Carter who was there as remember him? He's the guy who brought Benton in to begin with. He doesn't get charged, but he gets immunity in exchange for his testimony about the Beginnings of the conspiracy. Because he was in it in the beginning.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Cause he wasn't even there.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah, he wasn't there at the end. So. Yeah, they have Knight's detailed statements. They also, like we said, they charged Jesse Brooks with conspiracy to commit murder, even though we know he wasn't there. April 27, 2007, the Attorney General upgrades the charges against John Brooks to capital murder, which is punishable by the death penalty. Upgraded. He's the guy going down for everything. October 2008 is John Brooks trial, death penalty firmly on the table. Right in the middle. Like a Thanksgiving turkey sitting there. It's the first five years later. It's crazy. It's the first capital murder trial in New Hampshire in over 50 years. Wow. They don't use it very much. So this would have been. If he was convicted and executed. It would be the first execution in the state since 1939.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They haven't executed.

[James Petregallo]

Wow. No. And we talked about someone in New Hampshire that ate a kid. I mean, it's, you know. Yeah, that might have been Rhode Island. It might have been Rhode Island. I think that was Rhode Island.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, that was Rhode Island.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Kid of the.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. You know, in the box. You know what I'm talking about? It's an early episode. So his defense attorney suggested during opening statements that Benton is the real murderer. That's what it is. And that Benton found a sledgehammer inside the barn where Brooks had arranged a meeting with Reid. Then he had Benton spontaneously just lost it and killed Reed as retaliation for the time when Reed fired a gun at them when they came over to kill him.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, right. We all had a plan, but this guy went nuts. He went rogue.

[James Petregallo]

They also say that Vrooman told a cellmate in prison that he stomped on Reed's chest like a trampoline, and that vroom and not Brooks is solely responsible for the CH injuries.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Okay, so what are they trying to say? Our objective was kidnapping, and this guy murdered him.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. We were just going to talk to him and try to sweat him about where it is, and these guys, one of them just started whacking him with a sledgehammer, and the other one started jumping on his chest. And John Brooks was standing there like, oh, my very.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I just want my Harley's back.

[James Petregallo]

Oh, no. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

No Granddad's ashes.

[James Petregallo]

Oh, God, please, guys. I can't stand the sight of blood. So the witnesses are Brooks Vrooman and Michael Benton also, who've all been paid and everything like that. Benton. Now, the defense attorneys say that Benton is Really the one responsible for this. And while he's up there, they paint him as a crack cocaine addict who was desperate for his next fix the day Reid was bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. Now, Benton said, sure, I am a crackhead. That part you got right. That's true.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Crackheads aren't murderers.

[James Petregallo]

He said, I wasn't under the influence that day, though. You know, I stay clear headed for a murder scheme, you know what I'm saying? So that's basically what they did, he said. Benton also said, immediately when he fell in, that's when I hit him with the hammer, meaning he fell in the closet and I started bashing him. They said Benton showed no emotion as he described how he hit Reed two or three times on the head, then stepped over Reed's body and walked away. He said, when I thought him to be completely incapacitated, that's when he walked away. He said, then Robin Knight told him, he's not dead yet. Come back and finish him. And so he returned and hit Reed two or three more times in the forehead before he walked out behind the barn to smoke a cigarette. Little smoke break. He said that on another trip back to the barn, that's when they helped him pull the body out of the closet and on the tarp. And he said, I don't believe him to be dead. At that point, he was still breathing. I could hear him. So he said he was outside and he heard thumping sounds from inside. And he said, I didn't get to see what happened, so I don't want to speculate on how it happened. But he said they all talked about, stop the heart, stop the bleeding. When Vrooman testified, he said, John Brooks said that there are some holes that they poke in these stories here. They say that you guys entered plea deals, so you're gonna receive lighter sentences. And you're the guys physically doing this. And he's a crackhead, and your memory's terrible, and, you know that's a crackhead. Yeah, he's a crackhead. You can't believe him. So everyone out there, if you want to hire people for your murder, make sure they're a crackhead, and then they can't tell on you. I guess their credibility's ruined. That's it. That's legally what Brooks is trying to say here. Anything a crackhead says can't be true. So ask Corey Richens about that. That is. That's not good. She's in prison because of that. Don't believe him because it was true.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Don't Believe a crackhead? Sometimes.

[James Petregallo]

Especially when they have all sorts of electronic evidence that matches up with exactly what the crackhead said. So the verdict comes in. Brooks is found guilty of capital murder. Murder for hire. Capital murder. Murder during a kidnapping.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Uh oh.

[James Petregallo]

First degree murder, being an accomplice and conspiracy to commit murder.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They're gonna kill him.

[James Petregallo]

This is not good for this ad. $50 million, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

$50 million.

[James Petregallo]

Maybe the death penalty. Go relax in the desert, you fucking idiot. What's wrong with you?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Buy a new Harley and be resigned to not having your club footed alcoholic father's ashes. Who gives a shit?

[James Petregallo]

Work up a gambling habit. Have some fun. You can afford it. It's fine. So the judge in this case ruled that the jurors will be able to hear because in sentencing they're trying to figure out what they're gonna hear. They will be able to hear about a jailhouse beating ordered by Brooks as they weigh whether or not he should get life or death. They say they wanna call inmates as witnesses in the penalty phase to show Brooks is dangerous. They say he used his wealth while in jail to pay inmates for protection and to beat up a guy named Michael Small. Remember him? Right, we mentioned him. An inmate he had a grudge with. Now the judge said he will allow the jurors to hear from beating victim Michael Small as well as Julio Perez, the man who testified he beat Small in order to gain favor with Brooks. They'll also get testimony from Michael Keller and Jeffrey Miller, two men who reluctantly told the judge that Brooks offered them money in the early 90s to beat up some other guy, a teenager who was a friend of Jesse's. He was trying to hire men to beat up children.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Children. And he's got a track record. Track record. He has a history of this.

[James Petregallo]

That's because he thought this kid stole from him.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Oh, for heaven's sake.

[James Petregallo]

Wow. This is crazy. They also told prosecutors they could call a woman named Sonia LaBelle as a witness. She's expected to testify that Brooks punched her twice in the face after she drove over his lawn while leaving a party at his home.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

My stars.

[James Petregallo]

Bitch. I says keep off the grass. Can you read that fucking tiny sign? That's punching a woman.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I just seeded it.

[James Petregallo]

You punched a woman? Dude, I would have to kill my fucking Amazon people because they drive over my grass constantly. I would have blood up to my fucking elbows if that was my policy.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

I don't have a blade of grass on my fucking property.

[James Petregallo]

No, you don't. You can drive over Jimmy's rocks anytime.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You want drive over it all you want. All it does is kill whatever's trying to grow.

[James Petregallo]

That's a. Kill the weeds here. So that's what's going on here. This Michael Small testifies, saying that, quote, I knew nobody in that place but Jay Brooks. That's John Brooks. And shortly before Small was attacked, Brooks greeted him to the unit by telling him inmates liked fighting in the jail. And they also ruled that they could hear that Brooks allegedly punched the young woman in the head, like we said. And they said it shows Brooks likeliness to react to the kind of everyday indignities he'd encounter in prison with violence. That's why they're arguing for the death penalty. Saying even in prison, he's gonna be a problem.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He's a bad guy.

[James Petregallo]

He is a bad fucking guy. Victim impact statements. Jack's daughter Megan said to the coward that murdered my daddy, I hate you. That's fun. His daughter Jay told him he admired you, and look what you did to him. You're disgusting. I like that one, too.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

His daughter's name is Jay.

[James Petregallo]

Jay J, A, Y, E, maybe Jai. Jay. Not sure. And Virginia Philippone, the mother of his kids and his longtime girlfriend, said when you said nobody would miss him, you were wrong. There's no excuse for what you did to Jack. None whatsoever. May Jack rest in peace. And may you rot in jail. Yeah, they got their shots.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

There's five kids, man.

[James Petregallo]

There's five. They're gonna have. Yeah, they had a writing session. That's fun. I like it. The prosecution said one of the things that you will have to consider is whether the defendant's extremely short fuse and disproportionate reactions to insignificant situations establishes that he will be a danger in the future if he's sentenced to prison. We will ask you to keep in mind that the defendant is both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Both guys? Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

The defense said he's never been arrested before as his first offense. I mean, sure, it's a horrible planned two year in the making, torture, murder,

[Jimmy Wisserman]

but, you know, more on Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde.

[James Petregallo]

He also said when he owned PolyVac, he employed dozens of people. That's it. That's what it is. That's why he's a good guy. Ten years ago, people got paychecks. So, you know, the judge said, after a year, after probably a year of being involved in this case, it's clear to me that this was literally a monstrous crime in its level of evilness and premeditation and in its senselessness. But the jury decides everything. You, sir, may fuck off. Two life terms consecutively. No parole. Oh, life without. Twice in a row for sure.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Not getting out.

[James Petregallo]

Not getting out in jail, by the way. Right away he gets in trouble. He was awaiting this. He was running a commissary influence operation.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

What is that?

[James Petregallo]

He's selling shit. He's got. He's like, hoarding Snickers bars so he can sell them at whatever price he wants and shit like that. It's crazy. Robin Knight had his trial as well. Pretty much the same thing, except he had his cellmate telling on him too, which isn't good. The prosecution said this man, Robin Knight, was the voice and face of the murder. He was the one who called Jack Reed and told him to go to the barn that morning. And he's the guy who shook his hand and invited him in. He's the most full of shit. The defense said that Knight's own statements during the failed proffer sessions with investigators, that's what they're trying to get those thrown out. And they didn't get thrown out. They also introduced the prosecution. $167,000 in quote pay and bonuses that he received from Brooks after the murder.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He paid him well.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. And he said it was legitimate real estate proceeds, not murder money. Verdict? The jury deliberates for less than five hours. He is found guilty of accomplice to first degree murder. Accomplice to second degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder. Right at sentencing, Jay is back again, Jack's daughter. And she said, how dare you come into this courtroom and perpetrate this fraud? That you had no idea what was going to take place in that barn. You took the word of John Brooks hook, line and sinker, all because of greed. You make me sick. Yes, good for you.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Sick.

[James Petregallo]

The judge adds to that by saying, you, sir, may fuck off. Life without parole, asshole.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

You make me sick, too.

[James Petregallo]

I'm also a little nauseous.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

A little sick.

[James Petregallo]

Michael Benton pleads guilty to second degree murder and conspiracy to commit capital murder. Receives a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony in all the trials he sentenced to. You, sir, may fuck off. 33 years in prison for his deal. Joseph Vrooman pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit capital murder and hindering apprehension. He is sentenced to 17 and a half to 35 years.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

That's a man that was in the closet.

[James Petregallo]

He's the guy who tackled him into the closet.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Tackled him? Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

What the hell? He's part of the physical murder plot here.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

He's served over 13 years and by 2020. He started trying to seek early release. The prosecutor and the families were against it. Vrooman said, I committed a horrific crime against Mr. Reed. I think about what I did every day. I can't and will not ever be that person again. Even if he's not. He ends up. He was eligible for parole in 2024, but I couldn't find him getting out. Jesse Brooks is convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. Sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison. He's held in a prison in Arizona. So he's got. Nobody's around him. Yeah, he's stuck there. His whole family's there. He's going. He's trying to get out too. Saying that he was out having dinner with his mother. This is crazy. No, no, he was there, but he was establishing an alibi. Remember he said he was going to dinner to establish. Or going to breakfast or whatever. Out to eat. And establish the credit card receipt here. All of his appeals have been denied. There's a big thing of like free Jesse Brooks and this. There's a whole. Is he in Florence people. I don't know which one. It doesn't say people. A whole. There's a website where it has all this. This person lied. And then these investigators did this. And it's one of these. How he's been screwed over.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

He was very well, a part of it.

[James Petregallo]

Yeah. Two of the people were his friends. For fuck's sake.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

It's his dad that did it.

[James Petregallo]

His dad using his friends. What are you talking about here?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Super a part of it.

[James Petregallo]

His mother Lorraine has publicly advocated for his innocence, but he's gotten nothing. Robin Knight appealed. That goes nowhere. The Reed family sues. Also Jack. Which. Why not?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

For wrongful death. Yeah.

[James Petregallo]

Yep. That's how that goes. John Brooks to this day remains in prison. And yeah, the family filed a civil wrongful debt suit against John for $50 million.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

All of it.

[James Petregallo]

We'll take about every penny you have, Chief. How's that so that everybody.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Wait, no, it's not. Where the fuck are the motorcycles?

[James Petregallo]

We don't know. Who the fuck knows? They're motorcycles.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

All of this.

[James Petregallo]

You know motorcycles, man?

[Jimmy Wisserman]

They didn't even do it.

[James Petregallo]

Probably. No, that's the thing. Nobody thinks Jack Reed is considered the most honest guy in town.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

No evidence that he took it.

[James Petregallo]

No evidence that he took it. None of that.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

This guy stood for two years and got his kids friends together and murdered a man. That and he never got any of that shit back anyway.

[James Petregallo]

Nope. I would say probably. If I had to guess, I'd probably put it on one of Jesse's crackhead friends. I'd put it on anybody with a trailer. James.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

If you see a trailer, you just hook up to it.

[James Petregallo]

We think that this because it's so specific in the time frame that someone probably knew what was in it, but probably not. Jack. He just doesn't.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Probably not.

[James Petregallo]

It's not what he does. So yeah, anyway, there you go. There is Deerfield, New Hampshire. Now very quickly here at the end, we gotta go through this. Definitely head over to shutupandgivememurder.com Tickets for live shows. Next one with tickets. May 2nd in Denver. May 30th in Royal Oak, Michigan. Only a few left for that one. September you got Milwaukee and Minneapolis. Then after that, Dallas, San Jose, Sacramento, Tarrytown, Boston. Shut up and givememurder.com Listen to our other shows, crime and sports. Your stupid opinions. They're very good. You like them? Follow on social media smalltownmurder on Instagram, Small town pod on Facebook. Do that. Definitely. Get yourself Patreon. Dammit.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Please do.

[James Petregallo]

Patreon.com CrimeInSports anybody, $5 a month or above, you get everything. We put out hundreds of back bonus episodes immediately upon subscription. New ones every other week. One crime and sports. One small town murder this week, which you're going to get. Old timey stuff for crime and sports, crazy old articles about disasters and bloody shit and it's fun. And then ads for things that are poison. It's awesome. Small town murder. Corey Richen's Utah mom who killed her husband wrote a book about it for her kids to help with their grieving and is the biggest idiot in anybody I've ever seen in crime. Girl, she sucks. Patreon.com crimeinsports get shout out at the end of the regular show and everything we put out ad goddamn free. Do that. You want to follow us on social media? It's super easy to do that. You just head over to shut upandgivememurder.com Dropdown menus will take you where you need to go. So keep doing that, keep coming, seeing us. And until next week, everybody, it's been our pleasure.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Bye.

[James Petregallo]

Hey everybody. Listening to small town murder out there. Hi.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Hello.

[James Petregallo]

Good to see you out there. I'm here with Jimmy too. And this is an ad. But not an ad for a product. This is an ad for the best. Yes. Come see a live show. The 2026 Tour. All the tickets are for sale right now. Starting out with February 21st in Nashville, March 6th in Durham, March 7th in Atlanta Phoenix is sold out. We do have tickets though to your stupid opinions on 21 March. Salt Lake City sold out. Denver has tickets. Be there on May 2nd May 29th Buffalo sold out. Royal Oak, Michigan May 30th we have September 18th Milwaukee September 19th Minneapolis October 3rd in Dallas October 16th in San Jose, October 17th in Sacramento, November 13th in Tarrytown November 14th in Boston. Come see us. The live shows are spectacular. Come join all of the other STM people. You're going to meet so many people. You're going to have fun. Make some new friends like crazy and make some new friends. Come out and see us. Shut up and give me murder.com is where you go for those tickets. Get them right now while they're hot.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

See you on the road. Start the spring season off right with

[James Petregallo]

a new pair of Tocovas Western boots. Handcrafted in over 200 steps from genuine leather, they're built to last and feel broken in the moment you put them on. From cowhide to exotic leathers to Kovas

[Jimmy Wisserman]

blends timeless style with all day comfort.

[James Petregallo]

Pair them with premium denim Western shirts and except accessories for an effortless, polished look.

[Jimmy Wisserman]

Shop quality Western goods in store or [e-mail].