Murder conviction ends mystery

ASHLAND, Neb. — The final chapter of a story that began more than three decades ago has been written, ending speculation about what happened here to an elderly widow one cold winter night.

The short version: A jury last month found Jeffrey Glazebrook, 49, guilty of beating and killing Saidee May McReynolds, 97.

But this story of the quest for answers is drawn from court testimony, newspaper articles and interviews with investigators, the McReynolds family and friends of Glazebrook's.

It begins with a teenager who shuttled between the homes of his parents and grandparents, across the street from each other on Euclid Street in Ashland and about a block from the McReynolds home.

Glazebrook once lettered in cross country at Ashland-Greenwood High School.

But something changed, and a boy fellow students knew as smart, nice and good-looking dropped out of high school and started on a path that ended up in prison.

On the night of Nov. 6, 1977, snow covered Ashland's streets as the community slept. McReynolds had entertained earlier that evening. The widow went to bed around 9:30 p.m.

Hours later, she heard pounding on her front door. She opened it.

The 17-year-old Glazebrook forced his way inside, violently sexually assaulted the petite former schoolteacher and left her bleeding on the floor.

She was found the next day by a daughter. Two weeks later, she was dead from shock and severe hemorrhaging.

Anthony Maniaci, Ashland's acting police chief 32 years ago, testified that he worked to preserve evidence but knew his three-man police department could not handle a murder investigation. The Nebraska State Patrol took over.

Meanwhile, members of the community were gripped with fear, especially women.

“My mom was scared,” John Reid recalled. “She locked all the doors. So did the neighbor ladies.”

Law enforcement focused almost immediately on Glazebrook. But investigators didn't have the evidence to arrest him. Glazebrook was belligerent during questioning and denied involvement.

A few months later, however, Glazebrook pleaded guilty to a similar crime.

He had entered the home of Evelyn Stootsberry through a basement window in February 1978. Stootsberry lived alone and was asleep on the couch. She awoke when a hammer smashed into her head.

The 56-year-old woman fought back, and her attacker fled, grabbing her purse on the way out the back door. Footprints in the snow led to Glazebrook's apartment a few blocks away.

The teenager testified he was drunk and barely remembered the incident. “All I remember is someone screaming,” he testified.

Glazebrook escaped from the Saunders County Jail the day he was convicted in June 1978. He was apprehended soon afterward and was taken to the old reformatory in Lincoln.

His brother threw a gun over the fence to try to break him out again. It didn't work. A few months later, after moving to another facility, he did escape. He turned himself in after his mother and stepfather convinced him to surrender.

Glazebrook served 10 years for the Stootsberry attack. Four years after his release, he was convicted again.

This crime involved another woman living alone, in Lincoln. In 1991, Glazebrook broke into the home of his girlfriend's mother, sexually assaulting her. He was convicted and is still serving that sentence. His release date was scheduled for July 2010.

Meanwhile, in 1994, a new State Patrol investigator, then-Sgt. Bob Frank, began poring over reports and evidence in his spare time. He had a personal connection to the case; he was a senior in high school in Ashland when McReynolds was killed.

In 1996, breakthroughs in DNA testing led him to send hairs found on McReynolds' nightgown to a lab for analysis. Testing did not find any link to Glazebrook, so the case went back onto the shelf.

DNA-testing techniques continued to advance, and more testing was done in 1999 and again in 2005. With a federal grant to investigate cold cases, Frank sent the hairs to another lab. This time results found similarities between the samples and Glazebrook's DNA.

The foundation was laid for prosecution of this unsolved case. The evidence came together like pieces of a puzzle, Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff said. A grand jury was convened, and a murder indictment was returned in March 2008.

Evidence from two prison inmates would be the deciding factor. Both contacted Tingelhoff separately and said Glazebrook had admitted the crime to them at separate times.

Tingelhoff's office was short-staffed, so he asked the State Attorney General's Office for help. Assistant Attorney General Doug Warner led the prosecution.

Over four days, more than 20 witnesses — former State Patrol employees, DNA experts, doctors and victims — testified. The defense did not call witnesses, relying on cross-examination to present its case.

The jury found Glazebrook guilty of felony murder after less than three hours of deliberation.

Glazebrook looked stunned when the verdict was read. He shook his head “no” for several seconds before leaning over to his attorney and whispering, “I didn't do it.”

As the verdict was read, members of McReynolds' family listened attentively. Grandsons John Williams of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Cloyd Boydston of Wahoo had attended the trial daily with their wives, seeking justice for “Grandma May.”

“We're glad it's over and pleased with the results,” Williams said.

The epilogue is not yet written. Glazebrook's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26.

But for Ashland residents, the story is complete.

“It was a book that you couldn't shut the cover of yet, but now we can,” said former Ashland Police Chief Sanford “Sandy” Wolkow

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