GARLAND COUNTY (KFSM) — A man who said he thinks he shot his wife three times and his daughter four, has been sentenced to die by lethal injection.
A jury found Eric Allen Reid, 57, of Hot Springs guilty of two counts of capital murder for shooting and killing his wife and daughter, according to court documents. It took the jury of seven men and five women less than an hour to make the decision.
Eric Reid was arrested Oct. 20, 2015, according to police.
About midnight Oct. 19, 2015, police were dispatched to 607 Northwood Trail in Hot Springs after one of his daughters, Heather Reid, reported her dad shot and killed her mother Laura Reid and sister Mary Ann Reid in front of her, according to court documents.
When police arrived, her two children were also inside the residence. Heather Reid was 38 weeks pregnant at the time. She told police she administered CPR to her mother and sister, court documents state.
Heather Reid told police her mother, sister and she returned home after having dinner out and her dad was griping about one of the children not eating vegetables, court documents state.
Eric Reid corroborated Heather’s story, and added that when they returned home they turned on all of the lights in the house and he made a comment about their electric bill, which turned into an argument. He told investigators the family argued about other issues as well, and he was thinking about “bills and losing everything”. He said there was a lot of tension among the family members, court documents state.
Court documents state that Eric Reid told investigators he thinks he shot his wife of 26 years three times and daughter four times.
When asked what led him to shoot his wife and daughter, Reid told investigators, “I guess I got so mad or something. I think the point that really scrambled me was when she (daughter) hollered. She sounded so much like my ex-wife,” according to court documents.
He also told investigators, “I let a woman push me over the edge.” He also told investigators he and his daughter had a conflict of interest in parenting styles, according to court documents.
When asked during a mental evaluation whether he is concerned about his legal case, Reid said, “No, I’ve kind of given up on that. Whatever’s done is done, and I just have to let the good Lord carry me through whatever’s going to happen. I’m an easy-going person. I work hard and just want to enjoy life a little bit,” according to court documents.
