A sudden departure of a caring mom from home she shared with her children in Pierre, South Dakota, led to authorities embarking on searching for her. They eventually discovered that she was brutally killed and that the killer was planning to make a case against someone else. The documentary series on Investigation Discovery, ‘The Devil Speaks: Free Me Free,’ is a documentary about Tami Reay’s death in February of 2006 and her husband’s conviction. If you’re interested to learn more, We’ve got you covered.
How Did Tami Reay Die?
Tamera Dawnell Burns was born in Wyoming in June 1964. She was the sister of two as well. She was also introduced to her partner, Brad Reay, by one of them. The high school student lived with Brad and their young daughter Haylee, born in Billings, Montana, before moving to Pierre in 2004. The 41-year-old was then working part-time for a nearby Kmart shortly. He was also about to begin an entirely new job in a pharmacy when tragedy hit.
In February of 2006, Tami’s mother, Bonnie, worried that her daughter wasn’t calling her like she did every day. The family tried to contact Tami but with no success. After they realized she was not at work, her colleague, Brian Clark, reported her missing. On February 10, 2006, the body of Tami was discovered in a tree grove approximately 10 miles from Pierre. Tami had been stabbed approximately 37 times and had five wounds in her back. And not only that, her throat was cut.
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Who killed Tami Reay?
The authorities quickly discovered that Brian wasn’t just Tami’s coworker. Tami was involved in an affair with Brian. In the 911 call, Brian said that Tami’s husband was aware of their relationship. Although he admitted to being with Tami the night before, he said to have returned home following their meeting. Brian was at an event in the local area with his daughter and wife. Therefore, the authorities were concerned about Brad.
In the past, Brad was employed as an employee at the nearby Walmart. He admitted to the police that he knew Tami was involved in an affair but did not admit to being aware of the identity of the man she was with. Brad came home at around 10 pm on February 7 and heard Tami leave her vehicle, then leave with a person. As if it was a person she was with, Brad drove her car to follow them but was plagued by problems with his car. Finally, he returned home.
The authorities discovered blood pouring out of Tami’s car inside the garage. It was evident that there was an odor scent of chemical residue inside the car, suggesting that someone had tried to remove the evidence in a hurry. When Brad was confronted about the blood, He claimed to have the blood was not his. The family members told the police also found out the fact that Tami planned to quit Brad and seek divorce. When the authorities kept hounding Brad for explanations, he insisted on his innocence when he said, “I’m hoping that you can find the body because it’s something that can allow me to be free.”
When Tami’s body was discovered in the aftermath, the viciousness of the incident was exposed. However, Brad wasn’t someone who was violent; He didn’t have a criminal record or a record of violent conduct. The authorities then received letters that appeared to implicate Brian in the killing. They claimed that Tami was raped the night of her death and that a condom was still in her body. Although it was not discovered at the time of the first autopsy, another could identify the condom but the evidence found inside was too weak to give any clues.
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The authorities soon discovered Brad’s twin brother, Bret, had written the letters. Prison phone calls had been recorded by Brad telling his brother to go to the jail with pen and paper and describing certain letters that required to be delivered. During the visit, Brad stood up with an unwritten piece of paper while Bret took notes of the information. Then, police discovered an audio recording hidden from view, confirming Brad was aware of Brian’s name. The tape-recorded Tami conversing with her partner, which was recorded by Brad secretly around four days earlier.
Is Brad Reay Now?
The prosecution believes that Brad assaulted Tami as she lay asleep, stabbing her five times on the back and then cutting her throat. Then, he placed her body and blankets onto a tarp and then transported the body to the vehicle. Then, at some point, Brad stabbed her several times further. The police later discovered the bloody blankets and clothes in garbage bags in one of the places that were mentioned in the letter. Although Brad admitted to having placed the condom inside Tami’s corpse (he got the condom that was used by Brian while having sexual relations with Tami), he refused to take responsibility for the killing.
In the trial of Brad on January 7, 2007, the attorney stated that his daughter, then 13, killed her mother asleep. Brad said that she had been affected by her parent’s divorce and claimed he saw her in Tami’s room carrying an ax.
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The truth is Haylee testified for the prosecution and stated that she witnessed Brad washing laundry late at night, which was not typical. The jury ultimately came to a verdict and found Brad guilty of murder in the first degree. At the age of 47, he received a life sentence of imprisonment with no possibility of parole. There is evidence that he is still incarcerated in the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County.
