Lawyer requests evidence in slaying

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The defense attorney for a 43-year-old man charged in the suffocation death of an East Ridge woman is seeking evidence from prosecutors before a trial date can be set.

Bill Speek, court-appointed attorney for Randall Reed, said Friday that he's communicated with his client and is waiting to review the district attorney's evidence before he decides whether to seek a bond reduction.

"We maintain that he is innocent and plan to aggressively and effectively represent [Reed]," Speek said.

Reed has been indicted on first-degree murder and theft charges in connection with the June 15 suffocation death of Jane Stokes.

A neighbor found Stokes' body the morning after Stokes failed to show up for her longtime job at a Chattanooga accounting office, her face secured with plastic wrap and her wrists bound behind her back, according to Chattanooga Times Free Press archives.