Crime and Courts

Washington 1996 murder suspect held on $5M bond in Hamilton

Posted: Dec 4, 2012 10:30 AM by Mark Thorsell, Irina Cates - MTN News

MISSOULA - A man suspected in a 1996 Washington State murder is being held in the Ravalli County jail on $5 million bail and is listed as a fugitive from justice.

Ravalli County Undersheriff Perry Johnson says deputies assisted in the arrest of Clifford Everell Reed, 59, of Victor and that Reed was interviewed about the 1996 case.

Ravalli County and King County, Washington detectives are working together on the cold case. Reed is set to appear before a justice in Hamilton on Tuesday afternoon.

Reed was arrested in connection with the murder of Sandi Johnson, who was 28 when she disappeared on April 26, 1996. Her body was found along a Washington road in August of 2004. While sheriff's office spokesman Charlie Akers declined to name him, Reed was charged Monday with second-degree murder, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports.

Reed was arrested at his home without incident with the King County Sheriff's Office saying in a news release that the suspect was a co-worker of Johnson's at the time of her disappearance.

"This proves what can be done with a dedicated cold case unit that follows-up on leads and conducts thorough investigations," said King County Sheriff John Urquhart. "The sheriff's office remains committed to finding ways to seek justice in murder cases, no matter how much time has passed."

"This case shows the true value of a cold case detective squad," said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. "The families of victims of unsolved murders need to know that we will never give up seeking justice for them," he added.

The suspect will be extradited to King County to face the charges against him.