FILE 690 / 10 April 2026 / 72 MIN / express

The Dumbest Murder Conspiracy

Deerfield, New HampshireListen

The town

N ↑Public placeTown centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

It's Deerfield, New Hampshire, in southeastern New Hampshire, in Rockingham County about 0:04:24

History, in brief

1756

Deerfield was originally part of Nottingham; in 1756 the residents petitioned for a separate parish but were denied.

about 0:05:50

1765

In 1765, with a second petition pending, two local hunters presented Governor Benning Wentworth with a deer, permission was granted and the town was incorporated as Deerfield, named for the deer in the field.

about 0:06:21
All 2 history facts

1756

Deerfield was originally part of Nottingham; in 1756 the residents petitioned for a separate parish but were denied.

about 0:05:50

1765

In 1765, with a second petition pending, two local hunters presented Governor Benning Wentworth with a deer, permission was granted and the town was incorporated as Deerfield, named for the deer in the field.

about 0:06:21

The figures, as told

Money

Median home value$484,200
Median household income$112,931
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2026

Population

"4,808"

No direction stated.

As told in 2026 about 0:05:01

Median household income

"$112,931"

Comparison: "$69,000 in the rest of the country". No direction stated.

As told in 2026 about 0:05:15

Median home cost

"$484,200"

Comparison: "high, essentially a Boston suburb". Direction: above.

As told in 2026 about 0:05:25

The reviews

3.0 / 5 · average of 3

5 stars

“Great community with amazing people; small but seems huge, with lots of support for one another.”
about 0:07:03

3 stars

“A great town to live in and good for escaping busy cities; a community you can connect with if you want, and at Maze cafe or the one gas station you see the same faces and the owners know everyone.”
about 0:07:19

1 star

“The town is filled with nasty political infighting, underhanded bullying by adults and snob zoning; the school is not rated well and there is no real culture.”
about 0:08:02

In New Hampshire

Closest episodes

  1. The Orbit Of A KillerEpping, New Hampshire · 11 October 201717 km / 11 miShow on map
  2. The Killing Of A Bad ManHooksett, New Hampshire · 11 August 202217 km / 11 miShow on map
  3. Killing, Cover Up & A LOT of Sex ToysFremont, New Hampshire · 14 November 201919 km / 12 miShow on map
  4. Kinky Killer CoupleDover, New Hampshire · 30 November 202431 km / 19 miShow on map
  5. Overwhelming Evidence Of OverkillBelmont, New Hampshire · 13 December 201838 km / 24 miShow on map

The story

In 1985 he and Lorraine started Polyvac in their garage, making plastic orthopaedic braces. By 1994 it was turning over $20 million a year, and in 1996 he sold the business for $46 million. In 2003 the family decided to move to Las Vegas.

In September 2003 he posted a notice at a Manchester storage facility asking for help loading a trailer. The trailer, worth about $200,000, was gone the next morning.

The plan became a kidnapping and torture to recover the property, then murder.

Early in November 2003 the group went to Reed's house on Rockingham Road in Londonderry at one in the morning.

On 27 June 2005 the men gathered at the isolated farm. A woman who kept a horse there arrived unexpectedly and was told to leave.

The body was wrapped in plastic and duct tape and placed in the bed of Reed's own pickup. Handcuffs, the hammer and other items were thrown from a bridge behind the Wentworth by the Sea hotel, and the bloodstained walls and floor of the farmhouse were burned at Bert Sever's property.

Reed's daughter Megan had last spoken to him at nine on the evening of 26 June and reported him missing on 29 June. On 5 July a woman in Massachusetts called the police, who found the truck and the body. The autopsy found blunt-force injuries to the forehead and a caved-in chest, and dental records were needed to identify him.

The case

Murder of Jack Reed

Victims

Jack Francis Reed Sr (55). handyman and truck driver from Derry, New Hampshire; father of five

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 10 April 2026.

Accused

Accused

Accused

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Henry Belmar. cellmate at the Rockingham County House of Correction; career criminal who testified about admissions
Jeffrey Miller. told the judge that offered him money in the early 1990s to beat up a teenager
Sonia LaBelle. expected to testify that punched her twice after she drove over his lawn
Megan Reed. Jack's daughter; last spoke to him on June 26, 2005, reported him missing and gave a victim statement
Virginia Philippone. Jack's longtime girlfriend and mother of his two youngest children; gave a victim statement
Bert Sever. man on whose property the bloodstained debris from the farmhouse was burned

The timeline

  1. 1951 is born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and grows up poor.about 0:12:53
  2. March 27, 1948 Jack Francis Reed Sr is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.about 0:21:41
  3. 1975 father buys a gun with money stolen from and threatens to kill the family; he is taken to a mental hospital.about 0:14:20
  4. 1985 and Lorraine start Polyvac in their garage, making plastic orthopaedic braces.about 0:15:56
  5. 1989 sells his orthotics practice and incorporates Polyvac.about 0:16:40
  6. 1994 Polyvac begins injection moulding its sterilisation trays and is doing $20 million a year in business.about 0:17:16
  7. 1996 Polyvac builds a plant in Manchester with 94,000 square feet of manufacturing space. (Polyvac plant)about 0:17:35
  8. 1996 sells Polyvac, plant and all, for $46 million. (Polyvac plant)about 0:17:48
  9. 1997 is named New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year.about 0:19:03
  10. 2003 The family decides to relocate to Las Vegas and and Lorraine go into real estate in New Hampshire and Las Vegas.about 0:19:51
  11. September 29, 2003 Jack Reed answers a notice and helps load trailer at a storage facility. (Manchester storage facility)about 0:23:10
  12. September 30, 2003 The loaded trailer, holding motorcycles, belongings and the ashes of father, is found stolen; the loss is about $200,000. (Manchester storage facility)about 0:24:00
  13. September 30, 2003 tells Andrew Carter and that he wants Jack Reed killed and that they will help.about 0:25:58

Places and phrases

N ↑Public placeTown centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode