The sudden disappearance of a loving mother from her home in Pierre, South Dakota has sent authorities on a desperate search. But they eventually learned how she was brutally murdered and how the killer planned to frame someone else. Survey Discovery’The Devil Speaks: Set Me Free’ focuses on the February 2006 murder of Tami Reay and her husband’s eventual conviction. So if you’re curious for more, we’ve got you covered.
How did Tami Reay die?
Tamera Dawnell Burns was born in Wyoming in June 1964. She had two sisters and was introduced to her future husband, Brad Reay, by one of them. The former high school athlete lived with Brad and their daughter, Haylee, in Billings, Montana, before moving to Pierre in 2004. The 41-year-old then started working part-time at a local Kmart and was on about to start a new job. in a pharmacy when tragedy struck.
On February 8, 2006, Tami’s mother, Bonnie, became concerned when her daughter did not call her as she did every day. The family tried to reach Tami but to no avail. Once they realized she wasn’t at work either, her colleague, Brian Clark, reported her missing. On February 10, 2006, Tami’s naked body was found in a grove of trees about 10 miles from Pierre. She had been stabbed approximately 37 times, with five stab wounds in the back. Not only that, his throat was slit.
Who Killed Tami Reay?
Authorities quickly discovered that Brian was not just Tami’s co-worker; she had had an affair with him. During the 911 call, Brian said Tami’s husband found out about their relationship. While he admitted to being with Tami the night before, he claimed to have gone home after they met. Brian had gone to a local basketball game with his wife and daughter. So the authorities turned their attention to Brad.
At the time, Brad was working as a manager at the local Walmart. He told police he knew Tami was having an affair but denied knowing the identity of the man she was seeing. Brad came home shortly after 10 p.m. on February 7 and heard Tami park her car and drive off with someone. Believing it to be the lover, Brad drove his car to follow them but got into car trouble. Finally, he returned home.
However, authorities found blood dripping from Tami’s car in the garage. There was a distinct smell of chemicals inside, suggesting someone had tried to quickly clean up the evidence. When Brad was asked about the blood, he claimed to know nothing about it. From the family, police also learned that Tami was planning to leave Brad and wanted a divorce. As authorities continued to pressure Brad for answers, he maintained his innocence, at one point saying, “I hope you find the body because it will be something to set me free.”
Once Tami’s body was found, the vicious nature of the attack came to the fore. But Brad didn’t seem like a violent guy; he had no criminal record or history of violent behavior. Then authorities received letters that appeared to implicate Brian in the murder. They mentioned that Tami had been raped the night she died and that a condom was still lodged in her body. Although it was not discovered in the first autopsy, a second led to the condom, but the biological evidence inside was too degraded to provide answers.
Authorities soon learned that Brad’s twin brother, Bret, had written the letters. Jail calls had recorded Brad asking his brother to come to the jail with a pen and paper, telling him about some letters that needed to be sent. During the visit, Brad held up a piece of paper as Bret copied down the information. Then the police found a secret audio recording that proved that Brad knew Brian’s identity. It was a tape of Tami talking to her lover secretly recorded by Brad about four days before.
Where is Brad Reay now?
The prosecution estimated that Brad attacked Tami while she slept, stabbing her five times in the back and slitting her throat. He then placed her body and the blankets on a tarp, moving the body to the car. At some point after this, Brad stabbed her multiple times. Later, authorities found the bloodied blankets and clothes in the trash cans at one of the locations mentioned in the letters. While Brad admitted to placing the condom inside Tami’s body (he somehow acquired a condom used by Brian during sex with Tami), he denied taking responsibility for the murder.
At Brad’s trial in January 2007, his defense claimed that his then 13-year-old daughter killed her mother while she slept. Brad claimed she was traumatized by her parents’ divorce and said he saw her in Tami’s bedroom with a bloody knife. However, Haylee testified for the prosecution and said she saw Brad doing laundry in the middle of the night, which was unusual. The jury ultimately found Brad guilty of first degree murder. Then aged 47, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Records indicate he is still incarcerated at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County.
Read more: How did Candice Parchment die?
