Logan Clegg, a homeless drifter nicknamed by the FBI as “Mountain Dew Man,” was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of Stephen Reid, 67, and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, 66, on a hiking trail in New Hampshire in April 2022.
Clegg, who had said he preferred death to prison, will now have to serve two consecutive 50-year sentences, which was the sentence recommended by prosecutors.
“My hope in imposing this sentence is that the defendant never again walks the streets as a free man,” Judge John Kissinger said in imposing the sentence.
The perpetrator, who is 27, was found guilty in October of “knowingly and recklessly” causing the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, in addition to other charges.
He was also found guilty of several counts of falsifying physical evidence and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.
Before his sentencing, Clegg maintained his innocence and criticized investigators who, according to his account, “did everything they could over the past year to cheat me out of getting a fair trial.”
“When you have to throw sand into your opponent’s eyes in order to win, that’s a sure sign that you’re not the one that deserves to win,” said Clegg, who promised to appeal the conviction and assured that his innocence would be proven.
However, Judge Kissinger responded to Clegg’s claims.
“Let me be clear, there is absolutely no basis to that claim,” the judge said. “Having sat through the trial in this case and the pretrial proceedings, there is no doubt in my mind the Concord police worked tirelessly and skillfully to bring the killer of Stephen and Wendy Reid to justice. The suggestion that somehow the conviction is a product of misconduct is insulting, it’s outrageous and it’s untrue.”
