An 83-year-old Colorado native has been found guilty of murdering his family — and his justification for it is stomach-churning.
Back in 2023, Reginald L. Maclaren (pictured above, left) called the Englewood Police Department around 6 p.m. on March 25 to report the news of his wife and daughter — who was disabled — being murdered. He told law enforcement that he believed they were dead, and officers got their harrowing confirmation when they entered their home. According to reports from 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office at the time, when police came to his apartment, they saw “two large black trash cans in the living room.”
Later, they would come to understand that each trash can contained the “severed body” of his bride Bethany Maclaren (above, inset left), 70, and Ruth Jennifer Mclaren (above, inset right), 35. Police also found a “large axe” in the place, as well as a handsaw. Sickening…
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Soon enough, investigators began piecing together the evidence, and along with their statements from the 83-year-old himself, they were able to paint a horrifying picture regarding the crime. Legal docs from the incident stated the murder was premeditated:
“About a week prior to the murders, Maclaren told officers he purchased the saw and trash cans from The Home Depot. During questioning, Maclaren said he had recently lost his job and did not want to be homeless.”
The arrest affidavit went into more detail about the motive, as obtained by 9News. Apparently, Maclaren knew people that had dealt with homelessness, and knew “what a miserable life that was.” So, when he got fired from his job and could no longer afford rent, he started planning to murder his wife and daughter in order to avoid them having to be homeless.
WTF!
He wasn’t even going to give them a chance?? He wasn’t even going to try and get a new job?? His immediate thoughts were just MURDER??
The DA reported that he “struck his wife and daughter multiple times in the head with an axe, and then he used a saw to dismember their bodies before placing them in trash containers.” This is something he later confessed to, according to legal docs, when he told investigators he hit them both with the axe while they sat on the couch. He then allegedly hit them each twice more to finish the job before tossing their bodies in the bins. From there, he wasn’t able to move the trash cans from his home, so he left them and called police.
What’s even more disgusting, is he allegedly told police he did “not regret” the murders because he “knows they are in a better place.” So twisted. Chief Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins said in a statement:
“Mr. Maclaren betrayed his family in a gruesome and senseless ambush that he planned for weeks. He violently murdered his wife and daughter and planned to dispose of their bodies like trash.”
Maclaren was found guilty of first-degree murder in his wife and daughter’s deaths. He was also found guilty of tampering with a deceased body and false reporting. In Colorado, first-degree murder charges always come with a life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. You can learn more about the victims (below):
Such a horrifying end for Bethany and Ruth Jennifer. May they rest in peace…
[Image via 9News/YouTube/Arapahoe County Police Department]