BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Willie Reeves, of Elmore County, has been sentenced to 40 years for the murder of his wife, Andrea Reeves, on Lucky Town Lop Road in May of 2019.
Reeves stood before Circuit Judge Ben Fuller this morning in an Elmore County Courtroom, and was given the opportunity to make a statement prior to sentencing.
In that statement, he said he had loved his wife for many years, all the way back to high school. He said he will always love her. Reeves said it was just an accident that he murdered his wife with an AR-15 with a shot to the head during a party at their home that night. Testimony during his trial showed she had approached him about an extra-marital affair shortly before she was killed.
Other friends and family representing the victim, as well as Reeves, also stood to speak to Judge Fuller about the impact this murder has had, or to plead for mercy for Reeves, who they described as a good, Christian man who loved his wife.
One woman speaking on Reeves’ behalf said that this shooting was not premeditated, but rather a horrible accident. “(Reeves) is not a violent person. I am very sorry this happened.”
Reeves brother-in-law described Reeves as a God-fearing man, and said that all marriages have problems.
Reeves’ son stood to speak, saying he is in a very difficult situation, as he has already lost his mother, and he fears losing his father as well. The son said that this has all been a very difficult pill to swallow but asked the judge for leniency for his father.
On behalf of the victim, a family member spoke saying that Andrea was murdered and it was no accident. She said there will be no more things to share with Andrea, such as holidays, loving on grandchildren or celebrations. She described Andrea as a caring sister, mother, grandmother and friend and said her loss goes beyond words. “There will be no more birthdays, or showers, holidays, weddings or graduations. No family reunions.”
She continued saying, “The family is broken over this. He (Reeves) showed no mercy.”
The family member said that there were innumerable issues with domestic violence throughout the Reeves’ marriage. She described Reeves as an “evil, narcissistic and sadistic excuse of a human being.”
“This was no accident. I ask you for the maximum allowed by law,” the family member said to Judge Fuller.
Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson spoke before Judge Fuller, saying she was requesting a sentence of 52 years, to represent the age of Andrea at the time of her murder.
“I am not asking for life, because there is no truth in sentencing. He would get perhaps 25 years,” Johnson told Judge Fuller.
In his final statement to Judge Fuller, Reeves said he had no intention to kill his wife that evening. He said he was only trying to take the gun away from Andrea when it fired striking her in the head.
Judge Fuller said that whether or not Reeves Murdered his wife was already decided earlier this year by a jury. He also told Reeves he is familiar with the weapon used, it and required the gun to be pointed at Andrea when it fired.
Fuller said it is not his job to understand why Reeves did it, and he questioned Reeves on how much he really loved his wife, who he not only killed but testimony during the trial proved he had been having an extramarital affair. “You had spent the day with this woman you were having an affair with. So, I don’t believe you,” Fuller said to Reeves. He said that a man who truly loves his wife does not have extra-marital affairs, belittle or abuse them. “The jury was convinced this was not an accident, but the intentional killing and the law defines that as murder.”
Fuller continued that his job is not to judge Reeves for choices he made, but to hold him accountable for the outcomes of those decisions.
With his decision to sentence Reeves to 40 years with the Department of Corrections, Reeves was removed from the courtroom in handcuffs to immediately be transferred to a permanent facility and serve out his time.
Chief Assistant District Attorney C.J. Robinson said he is very proud of the hard work done by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office in this case. He said that Andrea’s family has been very supportive throughout the years since the murder.
“This was a cold-blooded act of domestic violence,” Robinson said. “I am very pleased with the sentence Judge Fuller imposed. It is very discouraging when you go through a trial, you get to sentencing and the family is there, and Mr. Reeves still showed no remorse or even admitted to murdering his wife. He has been found guilty. Even today he took zero accountability. I appreciate the family throughout all of this.”
Following the sentencing, Robinson and Johnson met with Andrea’s family privately in the media room. Afterwards Robinson told the EAN that is something that is common in violent crime cases, and he feels it is only proper. He said that the family and his office have worked through all of the details leading up to today, and he wanted to assure them that his office’s support will not end there.
“I assured them that down the road, if there is a parole hearing, we are going to be right back there with them to make sure that Willie Reeves serves his full sentence,” Robinson said.
Robinson spoke of Reeves’ son speaking on his father’s behalf.
“He has lost both parents because Willie Reeves made a decision to murder his wife. His mother is clearly not coming back. But that is not a justification to not hold his father accountable. I hate the family didn’t get the admission of guilty from Willie Reeves, even after he was found guilty.”
Robinson said that no one wakes up in the morning wishing for anyone in their family to be the victim of a violent crime. But he said when it happens, he feels it is the duty of the District Attorney’s Office to show as much support as possible for the families involved.
