UPDATED---DEVELOPING: TRIPLE HOMICIDE IN LACLEDE COUNTY

Josh Reyes mug shot

Authorities in Laclede County are trying to piece together two different crime scenes that are allegedly connected by one jilted lover.

Authorities confirm that two people were shot to death with a handgun near Phillpsburg and that a man was shot at The Highlands apartment complex at the intersection of Bland and Tower roads in Lebanon shortly thereafter.

Zack Porter (facebook)

Sheriff Richard Wrinkle says that Miranda Smith called 9-1-1 to report that her ex-boyfriend Joshua Antonio Reyes, 23, Springfield, allegedly showed up at her apartment and shot her current boyfriend, Zachary Bryan Porter, 25, Elkland, who was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

Sources say that Miranda became concerned for her dad and stepmother, 51 year-old Jeffry Smith and 48 year-old Glenda Smith, and started calling their home.


Jeffry and Glenda Smith (facebook)

When she couldn't get an answer she asked a family member to go and check on them. Authorities were called to that crime scene in the 1600 block of Monroe about 12:30 a.m. when the nephew opened the front door and saw his aunt and uncle laying on the floor covered in blood.

Sheriff Richard Wrinkle says that Reyes left Laclede County and made his way to his apartment at the Universtity Park Apartments in the 1700 block of Cherry in Springfield where he was taken into custody.

Detectives with the Lebanon police department have begun interviewing the suspect with the help of criminal investigators from the Springfield police department.

Sources say that Miranda Smith and Josh Reyes have two children together and that the kids were at their mothers apartment when their father allegedly gunned down Zach Porter.

On September 17th Miranda Smith asked the court to grant her an order of protection from Reyes---the court granted the motion. However, within 11 days later both Smith and Reyes asked that the order be lifted, and it appears from online court records that that motion was granted as well.

Josh Reyes has had at least two other protection orders filed against him in Laclede County according to online court records.

UPDATE: 10-11-09:

Reyes has been charged with three counts each of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and burglary.


UPDATE: 10-11-09 @ 7:12 a.m.:

Springfield man has been charged with first-degree murder in yesterday's spree killings in Laclede County.

Twenty three year-old Joshua Antonio Reyes is also facing three counts of first-degree burglary and armed criminal action.

Investigators are still working two separate crime scenes within fifteen miles of each other trying to piece together what sparked the murderous rampage they believe Reyes is responsible for.

Deputies were first called to Miranda Smiths apartment on Tower Road a little after midnight Saturday (10-10-09) for a reported shooting. When first responders arrived they found twenty five year-old Zachary Bryan Porter with a gunshot wound to the chest. Porter was transported to St. John's hospital in Lebanon where he was pronounced dead.

While cops were trying to gather information at that crime scene Smith told authorities that she was concerned for her father and step-mother who she could not reach by phone. A nephew of fifty one year old Jeffry Smith and forty eight year-old Glenda Smith found them covered in blood on their living room floor in nearby Phillpsburg.

Sheriff Richard Wrinkle says investigators believe the elder Smiths were shot to death first and that Reyes then went to his ex-girlfriends apartment and gunned down Porter, who was her current boyfriend.

Friends of Porters say that Reyes had allegedly been stalking their friend and his ex-girlfriend for the last few weeks. They say that they begged him not to move out of their apartment and in with Smith last Monday (10-05-09) because they were concerned for his safety.

Reyes, who was taken into custody at his apartment in Springfield, is being held without bond in the Laclede County jail.

Additional charges are expected to be filed against Reyes who will be arraigned on the first degree murder charge Tuesday.

UPDATE 10-11-09 @ 7:08 p.m.:

Three murders, three suspects.....two more people have been arrested in connection to yesterdays triple homicide investigation in Laclede County.

Steven Pyykola, 18, mug shot

Steven Pyykola, 18; and Jacky Wong, 21, have been charged with three counts of first degree murder, armed criminal action, and burglary. The same charges as their alleged co-conspirator, Joshua Antonio Reyes.



Jacky Wong, 21, mug shot

All three of the suspects are from Springfield and are facing those charges in connection to Saturday's spree killings in Laclede County of Zach Porter, and Jeffry and Glenda Smith.

Deputies were called to Miranda Smiths apartment on Tower Road a little after midnight Saturday (10-10-09) for a reported shooting. When first responders arrived they found Porter with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to St. John's hospital in Lebanon where he was pronounced dead.

While cops were trying to gather information at that crime scene Smith told authorities that she couldn't reach her father and step-mother and she was concerned about them. A nephew of fifty one year-old Jeffry Smith and forty eight year-old Glenda Smith found them covered in blood on their living room floor in nearby Phillpsburg about 12:30 a.m.

Wrinkle says that an investigator from the Springfield Police Departments Criminal Investigation Unit was assigned to help investigators with the Laclede County sheriff's department and police officers from Lebanon in gathering information about the shootings.

According to the sheriff, the suspects either stole or purchased clothing and two guns that were used in the killing spree. Wrinkle says that those items were disposed of...the clothing was dumped in a trash can and the weapons were thrown in water.

Wrinkle says that the suspects allegedly hatched the murder plot about a week ago and were conspiring to kill other people as well. "I won't name the other people or how many they were targeting," the sheriff said.

"We believe that they tried to throw investigators off by using two guns,"

Wrinkle said.The apparent motive for the killings is jealousy according to the sheriff, "she hurt him, so he was going to hurt everyone she loved."