Johnetta Hall

Summary

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Snapped: Women Who Murder – "Johnetta Hall"

Podcast by Oxygen | Episode Date: February 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode tells the tangled and chilling story of the murder of Bill Reynolds—a Vietnam veteran, car enthusiast, and family man living in rural southern Indiana. Central to the plot is Johnetta Hall, the mastermind behind a complex murder-for-hire plot involving family betrayal, greed, and manipulation, culminating in Reynolds' shooting death in his own driveway. The investigation uncovers a web of deceit, false alibis, and manipulation, ultimately leading to multiple arrests and convictions.

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Key Discussion Points & Investigation Breakdown

1. Discovery of Bill Reynolds’ Murder

• [00:30-04:01]
  • Bill Reynolds found shot dead in his driveway. No weapon, shell casings, or witnesses at the scene.
  • Initial confusion over whether the wound was self-inflicted, but lack of gun and evidence shifts focus to homicide.
  • First responders identify Reynolds and inform his sons.

“Your instant gut feeling is this is going to be a tough one.”
— Investigator [00:40]

2. Bill Reynolds: Background and Family Dynamics

• [04:15-09:23]
  • Reynolds, an Army veteran scarred by his Vietnam experience, led a modest, hardworking life.
  • His love for collectible cars, NASCAR memorabilia, and later, his second marriage to Dalene Cates.
  • Recovered from cancer shortly before his death, but marital tensions escalated during his illness.

“My dad always had kind of like a TV crush on Reba. So when he met Dalene, he thought, this is the woman that I've looked for my whole life.”
— Family Member [07:28]

3. Suspicion Falls Within the Family

• [09:38-11:09]
  • Police gather little physical evidence from the crime scene.
  • Bill’s sons immediately express suspicion toward Dalene, relating marital discord, property disputes, and threats.
  • Discovery Bill’s belongings and prized collection are missing after Dalene vacated the property post-divorce.

“She was hoping he would die in the hospital... All his 100,000 pieces worth of Nascars and Hot Wheels, everything was gone.”
— Family Member [00:50]

4. Dalene Cates: Questioned and Alibied

• [17:34-19:41]
  • Dalene appears visibly upset upon learning of Bill’s death but raises suspicions by immediately discussing cleaning supplies when officers visit.
  • Dalene’s alibi involves cleaning her new residence with her daughter, Johnetta Hall, and claims no involvement.
  • Voluntarily hands over her phone for location tracking.

“No, it would be more personal to her. She would use a knife or a bat. She would not use a gun.”
— Dalene (on hypothetically killing Bill) [18:25]

5. Johnetta Hall: Alibi Unravels

• [19:49-25:10]
  • Johnetta is evasive in her interview, expresses no concern for Bill’s death, and gives a meandering account of her day.
  • Provides a receipt from a gas station, and GPS data seems to confirm her story.
  • On video surveillance, Johnetta is seen with two men, contradicting her claim of being alone.

“I was doing a really good job of [getting myself lost].”
— Johnetta Hall [23:48]

6. Surveillance & Interrogations Lead to New Suspects

• [27:08-32:00]
  • Police identify men seen with Johnetta as Jacob Mathis and Kerry Heald via surveillance and vehicle plate.
  • Mathis and Heald are questioned, eventually confessing to being part of the plot, and implicating Johnetta as the mastermind and provider of the murder weapon.

“He reported seeing that... Kerry shot Bill Reynolds in the driveway. And when they got back in the car, Kerry handed Jacob a gun and said, wipe that off.”
— Investigator [31:12]

7. The Murder Plot Fully Unfolds

• [32:08-37:41]
  • Johnetta allegedly hires Heald to murder Reynolds, promising a share in Reynolds’ NASCAR memorabilia as payment—allegedly valued up to $800,000.
  • Motive cited: resolve Dalene’s financial and property disputes post-divorce and as twisted retribution.
  • Ameris Bunyard, Johnetta’s daughter, is drawn in as a facilitator (transporting the murder weapon) and directly witnesses her boyfriend's admission after the crime.

“Who really accepts to kill somebody for NASCAR? In my mind, that's just not a thing.”
— Ameris Bunyard [37:17]

8. Arrests, Motives, and Trials

• [37:46-41:31]
  • All parties except Dalene charged; Dalene is cleared by corroborated alibi and lack of evidence.
  • Plea deals struck by Ameris Bunyard, Kerry Heald, and Jacob Mathis. Johnetta Hall goes to trial, is found guilty, and receives life without parole.
  • Motives dissected: Johnetta’s manipulation, Ameris’ desire for maternal approval, Heald’s greed for memorabilia, and Mathis’ need for acceptance.

“In my opinion, Janetta is a monstrous, vile and evil human being.”
— Investigator [40:58]

9. Aftermath and Reflections

• [42:37-43:27]
  • Ameris expresses regret and self-blame for failing to stand up for Bill.
  • Family mourns the loss of Bill and the havoc wreaked upon all involved.
  • Final sentences: Johnetta Hall (life without parole), Kerry Heald (55 years), Jacob Mathis (32 years), Ameris Bunyard (30 years, 10 suspended), Dalene Cates (never charged).

“Even though myself and my family were very satisfied with Jannetta getting life without parole, there's still that void there.”
— Family Member [43:04]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“She was hoping he would die in the hospital...”

— Family Member [00:50]

“No, it would be more personal to her... She would use a knife or a bat. She would not use a gun.”

— Dalene (to law enforcement regarding hypothetical weapon choice) [18:25]

“I just came back from killing your grandfather. I walked right up to him and put the pistol between his eyes and pulled the trigger.”

— Kerry Heald, relayed by Ameris Bunyard [37:46]

“Who really accepts to kill somebody for NASCAR? In my mind that's just not a thing.”

— Ameris Bunyard [37:17]

“In my opinion, Janetta is a monstrous, vile and evil human being.”

— Investigator [40:58]

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Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Crime described, Bill Reynolds discovered dead | | 04:15 | Bill Reynolds’ life and background | | 09:38 | Investigation stymied, family raises suspicions | | 12:48 | Dalene’s manipulation of legal/financial situation | | 17:34 | Dalene interviewed, raises red flags | | 19:49 | Johnetta interviewed, inconsistencies emerge | | 25:01 | GPS confirms Johnetta's story...until surveillance found | | 27:08 | Johnetta seen with Mathis & Heald, confessions follow | | 32:08 | Plot and payment revealed—murder for NASCAR memorabilia | | 36:02 | Johnetta arrested, Ameris confesses to involvement | | 39:17 | Trial, convictions, sentences | | 42:37 | Ameris' remorse, family’s loss | | 43:27 | Sentencing recap/final reflections |

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Conclusion

This episode exemplifies Snapped’s signature storytelling—a methodical unraveling of domestic conflict, greed, and manipulation spiraling into a shocking murder. Through meticulous detective work and stubborn persistence, investigators expose not just the trigger-puller, but the entire conspiracy leading back to Johnetta Hall’s calculated orchestration. The tragedy leaves lasting scars on all families involved—with Bill Reynolds’ sons left seeking closure and grieving not only the loss of a father but the betrayal and destruction sowed by those once closest to him.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Investigator]

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[Detective]

A hardworking army veteran is shot dead with no witnesses.

[Family Member]

The man's laying on the ground in the middle of the driveway. I think he's dead.

[Investigator]

This was a complete whodunit. Your instant gut feeling is this is going to be a tough one.

[Detective]

But the victim's sons are convinced they know exactly who's to blame.

[Family Member]

She was hoping he would die in the hospital. We go back over there and all his 100,000 pieces worth of Nascars and Hot Wheels, everything was gone. And there's animal species everywhere through the whole house. The urine smell was so strong. She was going to make sure it was unlivable.

[Detective]

When investigators finally uncover the truth, it reveals a plot even more bizarre.

[Narrator]

He told detectives that he was a trained assassin.

[Family Member]

And what were you supposed to get out of this? A lot of money. She wanted to make sure that she got what she felt like was owed to her.

[Detective]

In southern Indiana, residents of Scott county enjoy a peaceful lifestyle.

[Narrator]

It's a rural community that's made up of a lot of hard working, blue collar citizens.

[Investigator]

It's got a small town feel all the way around. Everybody knows Everybody.

[Detective]

But on September 27, 2015, that sense of security is disrupted by an alarming 911 call.

[Family Member]

Please help me. What's the problem? The man's laying on the ground in the middle of the driveway. I think he's dead.

[Detective]

The caller, Leo Butera, says he's a mechanic who came to the house to work on a car.

[Family Member]

I'm not gonna touch him or nothing. I'm not gonna even open the gate. All right, I'll get EMS and sheriff and rap.

[Narrator]

When first responders arrived to the scene, there was a gravel driveway that led kind of back off of the road behind another residence. I saw a man. L. There was blood coming out of.

[Investigator]

His nose and around his mouth.

[Narrator]

As I approached, I knew immediately that something was not right. I waved my hand over the top of his eyes. I saw no movement in the pupils.

[Investigator]

And upon further investigation, I could see.

[Narrator]

That there was a hole in the side of his temple. I checked for a pulse and didn't get a pulse.

[Investigator]

And I was able to ascertain at that moment that he was obviously deceased. In the caller, Leonard Butera was standing there explaining to them what he seen. He believed that subject to be Bill Reynolds because Leonard was a friend of his.

[Narrator]

And he was able to tell first responders who Mr. Reynolds was and who his family members were so that contact could be made with them.

[Investigator]

On a call like this, you can never determine immediately if it's a self inflicted gunshot wound or not. In this case, the location of the wound, it was a toss up. Crime scene tech from the Indiana state police was summoned. He moved the body to see if there was a gun underneath. There was no gun, no shell casing, nothing.

[Narrator]

The Indiana state police immediately considered this a homicide and were at full speed with their investigation.

[Investigator]

We were going to figure out what happened to Bill Reynolds.

[Detective]

Bill Reynolds was born in Dayton, Ohio, on July 28, 1946. He grew up in a broken home and learned to fend for himself from a young age.

[Family Member]

My dad didn't talk about his childhood a whole lot because I don't think it was the greatest. When he was younger, he lived with his mother, and as he got a little older and became a teenager, he moved from Ohio into Indiana. He was a family man, you know, he took real good care of his family, his mom, his sisters.

[Detective]

At 18, Bill married his high school sweetheart, intending to start a family of his own. Those plans were soon disrupted.

[Family Member]

It wasn't long after they got married that he was drafted into the army. And of course, at that point, you know, he had to go to overseas to Vietnam. So I'm sure that that had somewhat of a strain with my mother and my dad's marriage.

[Detective]

While Bill was overseas, his wife gave birth to their first son. But Bill still had several more years left on his tour of duty.

[Family Member]

He was over about four years. He got all kinds of medals. My dad's seen a lot of things over there that he never talked to us about. It was, you know, the way Hunter said it was pretty dramatic, pretty traumatizing. He was ready to get out of there. Dad came back from the service to Indiana, and then my mother got pregnant again with me. Dad bought a small little house there in Blotcher, Indiana, and that's where him and my mother lived and began to raise their family. My dad got a job. He worked at the lumber mill at that time for his brother and they seem to be doing really well. My mother and my father was married for about eight, nine years. You know, they had a great relation and then I guess they finally just fell out of love and then they went their separate ways when I was about 7.

[Detective]

After his divorce, Bill started working as a long haul truck driver.

[Family Member]

My dad was very adventurous. The whole truck driving thing gave him the opportunity to explore and do the things that he really liked to do and get a paycheck for it.

[Detective]

When he was home, Bill spent his free time refurbishing cars he liked, you.

[Family Member]

Know, fast cars, Corvettes, Firebirds, whatever the new car was that had the biggest motor and the fastest engine. But as he got older, you know, car prices went from $5,000 to 40, 50, 60, $70,000. So I think at that point he kind of transferred that over to watching NASCAR on TV and collecting the NASCAR cars, the die cast cars. He started picking his favorite drivers. He felt like they're gonna be worth the money someday, so this is gonna be an investment for me.

[Detective]

By the time he was in his 50s, the kids were grown and Bill was living a solitary life. But he got another chance at love when he met a single mother named Dalene Cates.

[Family Member]

He seen that she had some Chihuahuas for sale. So he went over and got a Chihuahua. Reed told me, hey, I met Samoan Henry. You know, she has red hair and she reminds me of Reba McIntyre. My dad always had kind of like a TV crush on Reba. So when he met Daleen, he thought, this is the woman that I've looked for my whole life.

[Detective]

After only a few months together, Bill asked Dalene and her grandkids to move in with him while Dalene's daughter Johnnetta worked on the road.

[Family Member]

Jannetta lived out of state and she was also a truck driver. On the road a lot was never home.

[Witness]

Bill was an amazing papa. He was great. Dalene mainly fell for Bill because of the way he was with my brother Michael. It's very hard to find a man who is willing to, to take on the responsibility of a handicapped child who requires 24 hour care.

[Family Member]

It seemed like my dad and Amaris had a very good relationship.

[Witness]

There was one time I was learning to drive and I might have accidentally busted the headlight. Bill lied to my grandmother and said it was him who did it so she wouldn't be mad at me.

[Detective]

In 2013, Bill decided to give marriage another try. Dalene accepted his proposal, but Bill soon faced a new setback.

[Family Member]

About two Years after my dad and them got married, he ended up with cancer. When he stroke, dad going through Vietnam, surviving, making it through all that. He's a pretty tough guy. So he beat it. He made it. The surgery was a success and he made it out okay. So dad was excited and he was ready to continue on with his life.

[Detective]

Less than a year after his recovery, Bill is found dead in his driveway. Evidence at the scene indicates Bill was murdered. The question for investigators is why?

[Investigator]

Anytime you pull up to a crime scene with no witness, no murder weapon, no physical evidence at the scene, and a victim laying there in broad daylight with nothing to go off of, your instant gut feeling is this is going to be a tough one.

[Family Member]

We did search the residents at that time. We did not find any evidence or anything that lead us to believe that anything had occurred inside.

[Detective]

As the coroner prepares to transport the body for an autopsy, Bill's sons arrive at the scene. And they have a strong feeling about who killed their father.

[Family Member]

Henry Reynolds and William Reynolds could see their dad laying in the driveway and they were very upset. The police officers, they telling me to back up and I melted down and I was screaming, they killed him, they killed him, they killed him.

[Detective]

Coming up, the prime suspect turns out to be Sam, someone close to home.

[Family Member]

She was acting very odd, strange, and he could just tell something's not right here.

[Detective]

And the investigation gets stranger at every turn.

[Family Member]

We walk into my dad's house and there's animal species everywhere and everything was gonna.

[Detective]

The Scott county sheriff's office is investigating the murder of 69 year old Bill Reynolds, who was found shot in the driveway of his Indiana home.

[Investigator]

We had no weapon, we had no shell casings. This was a complete whodunit and we had no witnesses available to us.

[Detective]

While the crime scene offers little explanation, Bill's sons tell police they know someone who might have wanted him dead.

[Investigator]

After the arrival of the on the scene, they were immediately interviewed by deputies.

[Detective]

Bill's sons explained that their father's battle with cancer had caused a strain on his marriage. And when Bill managed to recover, Dalene was anything but relieved. When he was ready to return home.

[Family Member]

Me and my brother went down to pick him up from the hospital to take him home over there. Dad goes back to the residence and he starts noticing there's some pretty peculiar things going on. A bunch of his clothes were packed up. Daleen was acting very odd and strange and he could just tell something's not right here. He said, I need some clean clothes. And she said, they're outside on the porch. He Said, what's my doing outside on the porch? She just said, I was cleaning. And, you know, he says, cleaning. You don't vacuum seal people's clothes and put them on the back porch. She was boxing up to get rid of them.

[Detective]

They soon discovered Dalene made some other changes as well.

[Family Member]

He gave Dalene the power of attorney, so if he don't make it out, she takes care of the belongings. When they was in the hospital, she took all these car titles and put them all in her name. Dalene had put the piece of property in both of their names as well. Kind of put two and two together that she didn't think I was going to make it through surgery. She was hoping he would die in the hospital.

[Detective]

The chilling realization led Bill to end the marriage.

[Family Member]

Once he filed for divorce, things got pretty heated. She filed a restraining order against my dad, so dad had to leave the residence, and then dad went and lived with my brother.

[Detective]

Bill's sons say as soon as he moved out, Dalene's daughter, Johnnetta hall, moved in.

[Narrator]

Johnnetta hall had come back to Indiana and was staying at the residence with Dalene Cates.

[Witness]

Dalene did not have many friends, so she would talk about her and Bill's arguments with Johnetta and vent to her, which in turn would make Johnetta feel as if she had to defend Dalene.

[Investigator]

John Etta was very emotional and very.

[Detective]

Upset, and the problems only got worse.

[Family Member]

Anytime you file for divorce, you're technically not supposed to touch any of the property or get rid of any of the property. My dad felt like that Daleen was hauling all the property off the premises. So my dad talked my brother and I into taking a video camera and videoing as much as as we possibly could of what was there. He had probably had over 100,000 pieces worth of Nascars and Hot Wheels. And he had Dale Earnhardt Jr. In his bathrooms from the floor, stacked all the way to the silver. And he had the gold series and the platinum series in the house. They worth quite a bit of money because they're 24 karat gold cars.

[Narrator]

The family had indicated to us that the collection was worth probably in excess of $100,000.

[Family Member]

As we went and videoed the cars, everything was there. He was just trying to protect himself so at the end it could be split evenly and fairly and that he was going to be taken advantage of.

[Detective]

As divorce proceedings moved forward in August 2015, the court awarded Bill possession of the residence. The judge ordered Dalene to vacate the property by September 20, just a week Before Bill was murdered, we go back.

[Family Member]

Over there and all his nascars, everything was gone. His truck was gone, Everything was gone. She had chihuahuas. We walk into the house and there's animal species everywhere through the whole house. The urine smell was so strong that you couldn't even stand to be in there more than five minutes. I mean, we had to open up all the windows and all the doors. And she was that upset that she had to vacate the premises, that she was going to make sure it was unlivable.

[Detective]

Dalene had also left behind a thinly veiled threat.

[Family Member]

When we went on in the living room in his chair, said, a can of Remington gun oil, like, here you go. And he kept saying, they're going to kill me. They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me.

[Witness]

Daleen was extremely mad about the fact that she was not awarded the house. She believed it was completely and utterly unfair to her. She cussed, ranted, and raved about it multiple times a day.

[Detective]

But despite his concerns, Bill refused to be intimidated.

[Narrator]

They had spent several days cleaning the house to try to get it to the spot where it was livable. And the night of September 27, 2015, was actually going to be Bill Reynolds first night back in his residence.

[Family Member]

There was nothing left but, you know, the burr centrals, the vehicles with some of them was still there. You couldn't start it or nothing. So that's when he had Leo Buter come over to his place.

[Investigator]

So he.

[Family Member]

Could start it and drive it around. But when they showed up there, that's when they found him dead. William and Henry Reynolds believe that Dalene had murdered their father, Bill Reynolds, because they were going through a divorce, and she wanted to make sure that she got what she felt like was owed to her.

[Narrator]

Given the information that had been provided by the sons of Bill Reynolds, detectives decided it was imperative to make contact with Dalene. Cates.

[Detective]

Investigators call Dalene and set up a meeting with her at her new residence later that night.

[Investigator]

They sat down on the front porch. It was at that time that Dalene was made aware that Bill was deceased. Dalene seemed visibly upset at that news.

[Narrator]

She indicates that they've had their trouble, but she'd been with him a long time, and she did care about him.

[Detective]

Despite Dalene's emotional reaction, police noticed some red flags.

[Narrator]

She had been cleaning and had cleaning supplies out. Given the fact that they had just left the scene of a murder, it immediately raises suspicions that somebody is trying to clean up evidence.

[Family Member]

Dalene was asked directly if she had shot Bill Reynolds. And she said, no, it would be more personal to her. She would use a knife or a bat. She would not use a gun. The reaction of hearing this, like, is she saying this right now?

[Narrator]

She was asked whether or not she owned any weapons. She told law enforcement that she owned a.410 shotgun and a.38 special that she had not seen for quite some time. She indicated it could either be in storage or in some box somewhere from the move.

[Investigator]

She was also asked if she'd been with anybody to determine whether she was involved or not or if she has a solid alibi.

[Narrator]

Ms. Case indicated that she had been cleaning her new residence with her daughter, Jonetta hall. She indicated that Ms. Hall left the residence around 2 o' clock to go get some groceries in Madison, Indiana.

[Investigator]

Dalene was asked if she would provide her cell phone because in that cell phone we can tell her GPS location, you know, where she was at at the time of the crime. She expressed that she had nothing to hide in this investigation and she was willing to give her phone up.

[Detective]

Dalene remains a suspect, but there's still someone else police want to talk to.

[Investigator]

I needed to make contact with Johnnetta to determine her whereabouts and any involvement, if any. Chief Deputy Don Campbell made me aware that of some recent police involvement with John Etta hall, the police had been called out there a couple times for harassment calls or things of that nature. He said John Etta was tough to deal with. We're still left with questions, a lot of questions.

[Detective]

After their interview with Daleen Cates, investigators follow up on her alibi involving her d Johnnetta Hall.

[Family Member]

You have to work looking at every avenue, every lead. You cannot leave anything unturned.

[Investigator]

It was decided that I was going to try to reach out to Johnnetta Hall. I was. I actually obtained her phone number through our dispatch from recent calls of service. I placed a phone call to Johnnetta and she didn't answer. I left a voicemail and explained that I was an investigator with the sheriff's office and that I needed to speak with her. Where it was an investigation.

[Detective]

A few hours later, Johnnetta shows up in person.

[Investigator]

Around 8pm the night of the murder, Johnetta arrived at the sheriff's office and we conducted an interview with her. We just want you to come in, we have a talk to you a little bit.

[Family Member]

I got something to talk to you about. Right, okay. Bill's found dead today. Oh, yeah. Just a few hours.

[Narrator]

She did not ask, you know, oh, my gosh, what happened?

[Investigator]

That was a Red flag for us in this investigation.

[Narrator]

Are you curious at all how Bill died?

[Family Member]

You haven't asked me.

[Witness]

I don't know what to think about it.

[Family Member]

I really. I really don't know of anybody who would have wanted to do harm to Bill. I don't really get all into Bill's business as far as, you know, who.

[Witness]

And what he knows.

[Family Member]

I mean, he's not exactly on a lot of people's nice list of late. I know that.

[Investigator]

When confronted with the fact that she was not concerned, her explanation was that it wouldn't surprise her if someone had killed him. Because that's just the way he had been dealing with people.

[Family Member]

Some of the droves that they had him on, they were crazy. Cause he had his cancer a while.

[Witness]

Back or, I mean, stop being him damn self.

[Investigator]

She had explained that there used to be a great relationship between Daleen and Bill. She blamed the change in things on cancer and that after the treatments that it changed his personality. He became a vindictive individual that he was very rude and hard to deal with.

[Family Member]

I could tell that Johnnetta did not like Bill Reynolds. It was like almost personal based on just her. Her demeanor.

[Detective]

Johnnetta's behavior shifts her from being an alibi witness to a potential suspect.

[Investigator]

She was asked the same questions Daleen was asked. Tell us a little bit about your day, how your days went, where you been? We're trying to establish a baseline.

[Family Member]

So you have 1030, what you do you got today? My normal.

[Witness]

I got coffee, cigarette, and let's see, started a load of laundry.

[Narrator]

Johnnetta hall tells law enforcement that she had been helping her mother clean at the new residence, but that she had left the residence to take a rug to a storage unit. She also says that after leaving the storage unit that she went to the Circle K in Austin, Indiana to buy bread. After leaving the Circle K, she headed north and headed through the Muscatatuck Wildlife Preserve.

[Family Member]

And I'm just driving around trying to get myself lost.

[Witness]

I was doing a really good job of it.

[Family Member]

It's a quiet country, you know, that's what I did. Drove around.

[Investigator]

That stuck out as odd to me, you know, it was an odd statement. Why are you trying to get lost? I'm assuming you were by yourself the whole time.

[Family Member]

The whole time. That's how I just kind of unwind and rely. I haven't had alone time since all of this. So I decided today I'm just going to take off.

[Investigator]

There was nobody to corroborate or verify where she was at when she claimed she was at these places. So with her not being a witness, we asked her for any evidence.

[Witness]

I know you don't look good for me.

[Family Member]

I get all that.

[Narrator]

And she was eager to produce that receipt to law enforcement to show where she had been at the Circle K buying the bread.

[Investigator]

She provided us with her cellular device and her password to Google and gave us permission to explore that. And in doing so, we were able to extract GPS coordinates locations from a certain time frame before the murder, after the murder, and during the murder.

[Detective]

To their surprise, investigators find out Johnnetta's telling the truth.

[Investigator]

With her statement that she was all up in the wildlife refuge, we were able to find those points and show that she indeed was up there driving around.

[Narrator]

Officers were able to search Johnetta Hall's vehicle, and once again, they came up with no evidence.

[Family Member]

It was kind of like a kick in the teeth. It kind of set us back.

[Narrator]

At the end of the initial interview of Johnnetta hall, detectives let her leave the sheriff's office. And although she was free to go, officers seemed to have some suspicions and didn't feel comfortable with the way that had gone. So they wanted to make sure they did some additional follow up to what they had learned.

[Detective]

Police talked to Dalene's neighbors who support her alibi.

[Narrator]

It was confirmed that Dalene had been at her residence or on that property for all of the day, had helped the neighbors clean some cabinets, and according to the neighbors, she had not left.

[Family Member]

Detectives asked them if Dalene or Johnetta had asked them to lie for them about their whereabouts on the day of the murder. They stated that they did not.

[Detective]

Investigators still feel like the women aren't telling them the whole story.

[Investigator]

Just didn't feel like she was answering our questions truthfully or wholly. I should say, because of the history, the family history that raised the hair on the back of your neck, that you might be on the right path. There are some red flags that need to be followed up on this investigation.

[Detective]

Coming up, a suspect's cover story comes under scrutiny.

[Narrator]

Why did she lie? Why did she say she was there by herself?

[Detective]

And a murder plot unfolds.

[Investigator]

He's called him and said, can you pick me up my apartment? I got a job to do. And he knew then they were going to kill somebody.

[Detective]

With Dalene and her daughter, Johnnetta's whereabouts both accounted for, it seems neither woman could have been Bill Reynolds shooter. But since they both have strong motives, investigators still believe they might have been involved.

[Investigator]

Sometimes people responsible for murder don't actually carry out the act. They're responsible for potentially planning it, potentially aiding and assisting in the murder by providing a murder weapon. There's a whole list of things that could include someone in a crime that can't be ruled out just by a location alibi. The next morning, an autopsy was performed on Bill Reynolds Sr. There was a partial projectile that was recovered, and in the.38 caliber range.

[Narrator]

Dalene indicated that she had a.38 revolver, but she did not know where that gun was located.

[Detective]

Detectives wonder if Johnnetta might have had a reason to move the weapon.

[Investigator]

We was able to obtain the surveillance footage from the Storage Express facility that Johnetta had said that she had placed a rug in, and also from the Circle K gas station where she provided us with the receipt.

[Narrator]

Upon obtaining the surveillance videos, it was learned that Johnnetta hall was in fact at the Storage Express in Austin, Indiana, and at the Circle K around the same time frame.

[Detective]

But despite her previous claims of solitude, Johnnetta was not alone.

[Narrator]

The detectives noticed that Johnnetta hall was with two male individuals at both places. And why did she say she was there by herself?

[Investigator]

With the Circle Cave surveillance footage, you could see individuals, but you couldn't really see facial features. But we were able to get a license plate, a picture of the license plate on the vehicle from the Storage Express's camera.

[Narrator]

Officers were able to run that plate. It was a temporary plate that was traced back to a male individual by the name of Jacob Mathis.

[Investigator]

None of our local law enforcement knew who they were. It was important that investigators find out who Jacob Mathis is. We were provided with a possible apartment that he was staying at in Clarksville, Indiana.

[Detective]

On September 28, the day after the murder. Police locate Jacob, and he agrees to come in for an interview.

[Investigator]

Mathis, when asked, you know why you're here? Said, I have a feeling something bad has happened. They knew then that they might have someone in front of them that has knowledge of this murder. They began explaining to Jacob that they were conducting a death investigation. And Jacob openly admitted that he had went to Scott county.

[Narrator]

The day of the murder, September 27. He indicates that he and one of his roommates met a lady named Johnnetta at a storage facility and obtained some NASCAR memorabilia. He said that he and his roommate was going to start a business or that they would sell NASCAR memorabilia or other items on the Internet.

[Detective]

Although he freely admits his connection to Johnnetta, Jacob denies that he or his roommate had any further involvement.

[Narrator]

There are certain people he will give names to, but certain individuals he won't say their Name.

[Detective]

But after hours of questioning, the pressure begins to take its toll.

[Narrator]

He accidentally lets the name of his roommate, Kerry Hield, slip during conversation. They're also able to determine that Johnnetta hall is the mother of his roommate's girlfriend, Damaris. They finally confront him and ask, you know, about him being in Scott county and if he was at the residence of Bill Reynolds.

[Detective]

At that point, Jacob breaks down and confesses to everything.

[Investigator]

He stated that he had called him and said, can you pick up my apartment? I got a job to do. And Jacob stated that he knew then they were going to kill somebody. They drove about 30 to 45 minutes to a rural area, carried back the car up, kind of blocking. He reported the driveway in the fence. He reported seeing that. And Jacob stated that Kerry shot Bill Reynolds in the driveway. And when they got back in the car, Kerry handed Jacob a gun and said, wipe that off.

[Narrator]

He says that he takes a shirt or some kind of cloth material from his vehicle and wipes off the revolver, sticking it, I believe, in the passenger side floorboard of his vehicle.

[Investigator]

At that point in time, Jacob just became involved in a murder.

[Narrator]

He further indicated to police that he had been involved with some meetings regarding the killing of the individual between Johnnetta Hall, Ameris Bunyard and Kerry Heald. He told detectives that Kerry Heald had been hired by Janet hall because he was a trained assassin and that Jacob Mathis was a master body disposal expert. Officers did reach out to the Homicide division from Louisville, Kentucky, and nothing ever came of that. And there's no reason to believe that any of that was actually true.

[Detective]

Based on his statement, Jacob is arrested for murder and investigators pick up the alleged shooter, Kerry Heald, for questioning.

[Investigator]

Heald initially stated that he was not in Scott county on September 27, 2015 at all. We quickly confronted him.

[Family Member]

There are certain facts that I can prove like crazy.

[Investigator]

The only thing I can't prove is.

[Family Member]

Who that Alicorn shot. Bill, you understand that I know that you and Jacob went up there with the plan to kill Bill.

[Narrator]

Yes or no?

[Family Member]

Yes.

[Investigator]

He initially pointed to Mathis as the shooter. But the further the interview progressed, we started pointing out some inconsistencies with the.

[Family Member]

Story.

[Investigator]

And using some information from Mathis interview against him. And he initially turned around and confessed. He stated that he did kill Bill Reynolds, that him and Mathis were hired by Johnetta hall to carry out this murder, and that Johnetta hall provided them with the weapon to use. And the agreement was that she was to be given the weapon back and then she would dispose of it. What'd she do with the gun?

[Family Member]

I don't know.

[Narrator]

And what were you supposed to get out of this?

[Family Member]

A lot of money. How much? 800,000. Where was that money coming from? All the NASCAR clothes.

[Investigator]

He took NASCAR memorabilia as payment for this crime.

[Narrator]

Kerry Hild indicated that at first he did not want to commit this murder, but that Jannetta hall had continued to tell him things about Bill Reynolds to finally goad him into accepting this offer. The straw that broke the camel's back was she had indicated that Bill Reynolds had been sexually assaulting Ameris Bunyard.

[Family Member]

I'll be honest with you. I don't just want.

[Narrator]

You know, I feel really bad for you.

[Family Member]

I'm sad that you did what you did.

[Detective]

Investigators immediately place Kerry under arrest.

[Family Member]

Carrie Ray healed as my son. It made no sense to me that Carrie Ray would ever do anything like that. On the news site. Carrie Ray's mugshot is right there on the tv and that he was arrested in a murder.

[Witness]

That's how I definitely found out about it.

[Family Member]

I didn't believe for a second that he had done it.

[Detective]

Now detectives set their sights on the remaining co conspirators.

[Investigator]

The next step in this investigation is going to be to interview Amerispunyard and re interview and potentially arrest Johnetta hall for the murder of Bill Reynolds.

[Detective]

Armed with Jacob Mathis and Carrie Heald's confessions, Indiana police bring Johnnetta hall in for another round of questioning.

[Narrator]

At this point in the investigation, we had the statements murder being that Johnnetta hall had hired Carrie Heald to commit the murder and the things that had been offered to him as payment. When confronted with these things, she decided that she didn't want to speak, that she wanted to exercise her right to an attorney. And she was placed under arrest by the Scott County Sheriff'.

[Detective]

Johnnetta's daughter, Ameris is more forthcoming.

[Investigator]

So on September 29, 2015, a detective with the state police and myself interviewed Amaris Bunyard.

[Witness]

In my gut, the minute I saw them, I said I knew. I knew I wouldn't be going home that night. I was still very freaked out over the whole situation.

[Investigator]

She stated that she she was present for several meetings and that they all were involved in conversations and planning on murdering Bill Reynolds.

[Narrator]

She further indicated that during the move of Dalene Cates, Johnnetta hall took a handgun, slid it into the purse of Ameris Bunyard and told her to conceal it so that Dalene Cates did not see it being removed from the residence and to go out and give it to Carrie Heald.

[Witness]

John Etta kept saying things like, we don't want Dalene to do something stupid, so we snuck all of these weapons out of the house. I never thought in a million years that Carrie would actually do anything. Who really accepts to kill somebody for nascar? In my mind that's just not a thing.

[Detective]

But a few weeks later, he proved Ameris wrong.

[Witness]

Kerry told me while we were in the car, he said, I just came back from killing your grandfather. He said, I walked right up to him and I put the pistol between his eyes and pulled the trigger. They left him in the driveway, just left him there.

[Detective]

Ameris statement implicates her in the murder, but also confirms Dalene was not involved. After only two days of investigation, three of the four suspects in Bill Reynolds murder are now in custody. In February of 2016, Amaris Bunyard joins her co conspirators behind bars.

[Narrator]

It was important that we get, in my opinion, the two biggest players which were Johnetta hall and Kerry Heald. Kerry Heald being the shooter and Johnnetta hall being the mastermind. To do that, we needed the cooperation of the other people involved.

[Detective]

Rather than face a jury, Kerry pleads guilty in exchange for his cooperation with authorities. Ameris and Jacob take similar deals. In September 2020, Johnnetta's trial begins.

[Narrator]

In the prosecution of this case, we had a lot of evidence, but one key piece of evidence that we never ended up with was the murder weapon.

[Detective]

Although the prosecution's case is largely circumstantial, they believe the motives speak for themselves.

[Family Member]

Johnetta hall committed this crime because she thought that her mother was getting out of a relationship and not going to get anything.

[Investigator]

She was extremely upset that she did not get her way and that Bill won and was able to relinquish the property back.

[Narrator]

I think the motive for Ameris Budyard to be involved in this was approval and love from her mother.

[Witness]

I knew what type of person John Etto was. I never honestly took the situation seriously until after the fact it had happened. And I didn't do anything. I'm a coward for that.

[Narrator]

Gary Hield's motive to conduct this murder was financial gain for him from the things that had been promised him by Janetta Hall.

[Investigator]

I would label Jacob Mathis as a follower. Hield showed him the attention that I think that he needed and he would have followed Carrie Hild into the gates of hell if he'd let him.

[Detective]

The defense argues there is nothing to connect Johnnetta to Bill Reynolds murder other than the word of his confessed killers. But the jury doesn't agree.

[Narrator]

After a trial that lasted almost two weeks, Janetta hall was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder was given life without parole.

[Investigator]

And I don't think it took too much for Jannetta to snap, because in my opinion, Jannetta is a monstrous, vile and evil human being.

[Family Member]

She manipulated those kids. She used them to do something that she couldn't do herself. I kept pushing Carrie, wanting him to tell me everything. What would she have ever said to you to make you want to do this? And he said, she painted such a picture of such a monster, and that's what he, you know, fell for.

[Narrator]

Johnetta hall had convinced him to go through with this by telling him stories about how Mr. Reynolds had been abusive to her and other family members. However, with follow up investigation, law enforcement was able to determine that that was not accurate and that that had not been occurring.

[Family Member]

She took my son's life too. She took him. She took him away.

[Detective]

Johnnetta had been willing to say anything and sacrifice anyone to get what she wanted, including her own daughter.

[Witness]

I didn't think that I would be arrested. While in county jail after I was arrested, I did make contact with Johnetta in an attempt to find out why things had happened the way they had happened and why she was saying the things she was saying. It made no sense to me.

[Detective]

And Ameris pays the price.

[Witness]

I eventually signed a plea deal for 30 years. Suspend 10 of them, do 20 with a 75% time. So when all said and done, once I am released, I will do 15 years. If I could turn everything around, if I could change what I did and didn't do, I would. I hate myself every day for not being there for the one person who did love me.

[Family Member]

Even though myself and my family were very satisfied with Jannetta getting life without parole, there's still that void there. It still ain't right behind me. I'm still dealing with it every day. Like I go down and put a new flag on my dad's graveyard. He's a Vietnam hero and he took care of me and my brother and he just wanted to be remembered.

[Witness]

Carrie Heald is serving 55 years in prison for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Jacob Mathis is serving 32 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder. Dalene Cates was never charged with a crime.