Blood-soaked shoes, hidden handgun and alleged confession revealed in Cordova murder hearing
By Kayla Davis
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WALKER COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — A bloody crime scene, a hidden handgun and an alleged confession detailing how he tracked his ex-girlfriend were among the new details revealed Tuesday in the Cordova capital murder case against Billy Wayne Reid.
Reid is charged with capital murder and accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Sandra Moore on Aug. 19. It happened just days after he was released on bond for charges of kidnapping, domestic violence and stalking.
The victim in that case was also Moore. Agent Daniel Haynes, a veteran law enforcement officer with over 20 years of experience, testified that Reid was under a court order to stay away from Moore and had previously been trespassed from her apartment.
Haynes says on Aug. 19, Cordova police discovered Moore’s body during a welfare check requested by her mother. Alabama State Bureau investigators found blood on the front porch, door, and door handle, along with signs of a struggle inside the apartment. The living room contained large amounts of blood on the floor, furniture, walls and ceiling, broken glass from a sliding door, bullet casings, and a bullet hole in the wall.
A drag pattern led from the living room to the bedroom, where Moore’s body was discovered under covers on the bed, surrounded by 12 photographs of her and Reid, with a cross placed on her body in a ritualistic manner.
Reid told investigators he lay in bed with Moore’s body for several hours after the murder and said he was, “not a cold-blooded killer.”
Haynes described Moore’s injuries, including disfigurement of her skull and face, blunt force trauma, puncture wounds, defensive wounds, broken fingers on her right hand, and cuts from glass.
Two notes were found in the apartment, one signed by Reid stating, “My wife’s truck is parked down by the school. Her blood is on Cordova police’s hand, they made me do this, I was good to her.” The second note listed Brandy Reid’s name and phone number and said, “Tell her I love her.”
Brandy Reid, Billy Reid’s niece, told police Reid confessed to killing Moore just hours after the murder. They met at the Jack’s in Trussville and sat in the car for hours while Reid detailed the murder. She said Reid described placing a GPS tracker on Moore’s car and following her Aug. 18, when he saw her with another man at a Taziki’s.
Reid’s phone, which investigators say he tossed in an abandoned Midfield building after the murder, pinged at Moore’s apartment at 1:56 a.m. on Aug. 19. Later that day, Reid snuck into Moore’s apartment through a sliding door and waited for her return. According to Brandy, Reid said Moore was scared when she found Reid in her home, got her handgun and shot nine times during the confrontation. Following the shots, Reid said to Moore, “You tried to kill me.”
That murder weapon, a pink 9-millimeter handgun purchased by Moore, was recovered after Reid revealed its location inside an AC return behind drywall. The gun, covered in blood and filled with blood in the magazine, was determined to have been used to inflict Moore’s blunt force trauma injuries. The doctor confirmed in the preliminary autopsy it was clear Moore was “pistol-whipped.”
Reid confessed to leaving Moore’s Jeep Liberty in a nearby school parking lot after Reid was located in Moody, Alabama, wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans at the time of his arrest.
A search warrant revealed Reid withdrew $9,500 from Wells Fargo on Aug. 18, with surveillance footage showing him wearing a gray t-shirt that matches the bloody gray T-shirt taken from Moore’s residence. Brandy confirmed Reid confessed to changing clothes and even wished he had changed his shoes as well.
Investigators found footprints matching Reid’s tennis shoe tread pattern throughout the scene. The tennis shoes were covered in blood when they were confiscated.
Investigators in the case interviewed two of Moore’s neighbors. They reported hearing loud banging noises the night of Aug. 18 and arguing the morning of Aug. 19.
The Walker County judge found probable cause in the case. Reid was ordered to remain in custody without bond.
The family and district attorney refused to talk Tuesday.
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