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The murder-suicide of William Ahrold and his nine-year-old son, Jackson, was undeniably horrific.
But Jerod Reeves and Kimberly McCaffrey added to the awful scene in a grisly way, by sawing off Ahrold’s fingers in order to make off with the gun still frozen in his grasp. And this isn’t speculation. Reeves admits to the act.
The shocking story comes courtesy of 9News, which conducted a jailhouse interview with Reeves and McCaffrey. See it below.
At this point, Grand County authorities still don’t know why Ahnold, age 62, shot Jackson and then took his own life, probably around December 9, after they were reported missing. But when officers discovered the corpses in a white van on December 17, they didn’t locate the murder weapon — although they found where Ahnold had held it, back when all of his fingers were still attached to his hand.
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It didn’t take long for the law to zero in on Reeves and McCaffrey. According to the Denver Post, Reeves and McCaffrey could be seen in surveillance footage using Ahnold’s credit card, which they also took from the crime scene. The vehicle they’d been driving was abandoned in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Shortly thereafter, the pair were found — in Washington state. They were transported back to Grand County, and following a court hearing on Monday (another’s scheduled for Thursday), they sat down with 9News reporter Kevin Torres to tell their tale.
According to Reeves, he and McCaffrey were homeless, cold and driving a vehicle that was practically gas-free when they stumbled upon the bodies. It didn’t take them long to spot a wallet — and Reeves doesn’t sound remorseful about snagging it.
“Wait until they’re out there freezing half to death,” he tells Torres. “Anyone that goes and finds a dead body in the wilderness and sees a freakin’ wallet with some cash in it, they’re going to take it. I don’t care who you are.”
Maybe — but the typical person in that situation probably wouldn’t go to such extremes to grab a gun, despite a weapon’s resale value. How’d Reeves get it free? With a hacksaw, he says, adding, “That was pretty crazy.”
Mmmm-hmmm. Look below to see the booking photos of Reeves and McCaffrey, followed by the aforementioned 9News report.
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More from our Colorado Crimes archive: “Daryl Rasmussen, aka Ms. Puppy: Cross-dresser wanted for 2 murders busted in Cali.”
