Dateline: Unforgettable is investigating the murder of church deacon Thad John Reynolds, who became the victim of a violent love triangle when his wife, Michelle Sullins Reynolds, and her lover, Richard “Scott” Harper, plotted his death.
In 2004, Thad and Michelle regularly attended the Hollywood Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia, where Thad doubled as a deacon and a marriage counselor. Harper also participated in the church as a youth minister, and at some point, he began having an affair with Michelle.
On July 5, 2004, Thad, a 36-year-old father of four, arrived at his place of work and was stabbed 19 times by Harper. Thad worked as a district manager at a Frito-Lay distribution center. As he arrived for work at 6 a.m., he was attacked by Harper, who told him, “I want what you got.”
One of Thad’s colleagues arrived shortly after the murder and reported seeing a man changing his shirt and a red minivan parked beside Thad’s car. The police said the man was Harper. On the same day, Harper attended a hospital for a wound to his right hand.
The cops found a sheath from a hunting knife and Harper’s prescription glasses at the scene of the crime. The investigators recovered video surveillance footage of the killer purchasing the murder weapon on July 1.
The police learned that Harper and Sullins Reynolds had been having a passionate affair that evolved into jokes about killing their respective spouses. Those jokes then turned into serious plans. On one occasion, the murderous couple discussed cooking a pot of poisoned spaghetti for Thad and Harper’s wife.
Michelle Sullins Reynolds urged Scott Harper to kill Thad Reynolds
Michelle became more pushy, telling her lover that the only way he would have her was if he outlived Thad. The police suspect that Harper feared he would lose Michelle if he didn’t act soon.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelA few days after the murder, the pair were both arrested and charged with murder. They were denied bail and kept in custody for the next few years as the justice system sluggishly processed the case.
Thad and Michelle had four daughters, and Harper and his wife had three. The national media became engrossed in the case of two God-fearing families where everything seemed to have suddenly fallen apart.
Michelle Sullins Reynolds and Scott Harper convicted for Thad Reynolds murder
Finally, in 2008, Harper agreed to plead guilty to murder under the condition that the prosecution would not seek the death penalty for either him or Michelle. He was sentenced to life in prison.
At his sentencing, Harper tearfully told the court, “There’s nothing I can say to undo what was done. I’m ashamed of the things I thought and did in 2004.”
Michelle continued to plead innocent and was set for a trial in 2010 when she finally decided to make a deal. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years. Her children were not allowed to visit her until they were adults. The sentence was backdated to her arrest in 2004.
She was released in July 2024.
Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Oxygen.