Episode 344

On a cold March evening in 2023, police in Englewood, Colorado responded to a 911 call from 81-year-old Reginald Maclaren. Inside his upscale apartment, they uncovered a scene so brutal, it would briefly dominate headlines before vanishing just as quickly. The victims were Reginald’s wife and daughter. They were two women who lived quietly, knew no one, and left behind almost nothing. It was their bodies, and the way they were found, that told the horrifying story of their deaths. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Mike Boudet?

  Buy smart, drive for less and trade for more. That's Toyota Fortability. And it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and long-lasting trucks. Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between. Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic 4Runner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday. And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power

• 0:43Mike Boudet?

  on many models, you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way. And long after you leave a lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value. So you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details, or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places.

• 1:14Speaker 01

  Ever been on a trip where you felt like an outsider because you couldn't speak the language? That's exactly where Babbel steps in. It's not about mastering textbook grammar or topping leaderboards, it's about real conversations in real places. Imagine speaking a new language confidently in just a few weeks with just 10 minutes a day on Babbel. Designed by over 200 language experts, Babbel teaches you the phrases that locals actually use, not outdated textbook jargon. Plus, it fits into your life effortlessly, whether during a coffee break or right before bed. And here's something for all of you. As listeners of our podcast, you can get up to 60% off your Babbel subscription. Just visit babbel.com/pod. Start your journey to a new language today.

• 1:59Speaker 02

  Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

• 2:11Speaker 03

  I found my daughter and my wife. Somebody killed them in the apartment. They have been murdered.

• 2:32Mike Boudet?

  It's a little before 6:00 PM on a Saturday in Englewood, Colorado. It's sunny, but still frigid. It's the end of March 2023, and two local Englewood, Colorado, police deputies are sitting in their cruiser. They're just talking and looking over some paperwork, really. Officer Aloysius has been with the force for a few years now, but today, he's got a trainee with him. Englewood is in the heart of the Denver metropolitan area. There are over 30,000 residents and a typical crime rate, which consists of basically two

• 3:12Mike Boudet?

  things: robberies and drug-related incidents, maybe a few traffic violations sprinkled in there as well. Neither Officer Aloysius nor his trainee are expecting any crazy calls today, let alone a double homicide in a luxury apartment complex.

• 3:31Speaker 04

  901 Englewood Parkway is going to be Unit N in the Nancy 308, right?

• 3:36Mike Boudet?

  He's got the cord to his radio wrapped around his finger, fidgeting with it as he listens to dispatch.

• 3:43Speaker 05

  Go ahead.

• 3:44Speaker 04

  RB states his wife and daughter are deceased. He thinks they might have been hurt. The wife is 70 years old and the daughter is 34. RB thinks he knows the suspect, and we're still getting further.

• 3:58Mike Boudet?

  They'll be heading to a complex called Art Walk at City Center. Sounds fancy. They're one- and two-bedroom apartments that go upwards of $2,000 a month. It's usually pretty quiet over there.

• 4:12Speaker 05

  I think it's going to be on the north. Let me get a hold of.

• 4:16Speaker 06

  Paramedics, this is Kara.

• 4:18Speaker 04

  Hey, it's Julie from Englewood. We're not sure what we have, but we need you to stage for right now. We might have two people that were killed inside of an apartment, 901 Englewood Parkway.

• 4:29Speaker 06

  So this is like a homicide and it's like?

• 4:31Speaker 04

  Yeah, well, I don't know. He thinks it's his nephew. He thinks they're both dead, 70 and 34. I have a ton of officers going, as I'm sure you know.

• 4:40Mike Boudet?

  This is the 911 call that had come in just moments before.

• 4:45Speaker 04

  911, where's your emergency?

• 4:47Speaker 03

  Yeah, yes ma'am, this is Reggie McLaren. I am calling from Art Walk Apartments, Apartment N 308. I came around 3 o'clock and I found my wife and my daughter murdered.

• 5:01Speaker 07

  I'm sorry, you what?

• 5:03Speaker 03

  I found my daughter and my wife. Somebody killed them in the apartment. They have been murdered.

• 5:10Speaker 07

  Okay, how do you know that they're dead?

• 5:13Speaker 03

  Well, I am here, they are dead, you know, Because the guy whoever entered, he was trying to take them in a trash can or take away, but he couldn't do it. So I, I am just, I need a

• 5:24Speaker 07

  Are your wife and daughter still inside the apartment?

• 5:28Speaker 03

  Inside the apartment.

• 5:30Speaker 07

  Okay, how old are they?

• 5:33Speaker 03

  Wife is 70 years old.

• 5:36Speaker 07

  Okay, and your daughter?

• 5:38Speaker 03

  Daughter is about 34 years old.

• 5:42Speaker 07

  And what is your name?

• 5:44Speaker 03

  Reginald.

• 5:46Speaker 07

  That's your name?

• 5:49Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's my name, Reginald McLaren.

• 5:52Speaker 07

  Okay, and are you in the hallway?

• 5:55Speaker 03

  No, I am going in the hallway because I want to put on my jacket. It's very cold there.

• 6:00Speaker 07

  Okay, my officers are there though, and they need you to not be in the apartment, okay?

• 6:05Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 6:07Mike Boudet?

  At the same time, Officer Aloise and his trainee were running up the stairs to Unit N 308.

• 6:13Speaker 05

  Hey honey, I think it's this side. Which way do you go? Do you go that way? Let's go. A key to the scope? Look out.

• 6:23Speaker 05

  What, what are we going to?

• 6:25Speaker 08

  Uh, North 308, North 308.

• 6:26Speaker 05

  North 308?

• 6:28Mike Boudet?

  When they finally get to that unit, the hallway is absolutely silent. There isn't a person in sight. They cautiously approached the apartment door, hoping they won't have to break it down.

• 6:46Speaker 05

  Do a fact confirming and Nancy. Police, follow, lift your hands. Did you call? Yeah. Step outside, step outside.

• 6:54Mike Boudet?

  They're bracing themselves for a potential showdown with whoever murdered this man's family. But instead, it's the caller himself who answers the door. He's still on the phone with dispatch.

• 7:07Speaker 07

  So let me know when you stepped out into the hallway because my officers are gonna meet you in the hallway.

• 7:12Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 7:13Speaker 07

  How long ago did you find them? What time did you come home and find them?

• 7:16Speaker 03

  I don't know, man. I don't know.

• 7:19Speaker 07

  Okay.

• 7:19Speaker 03

  I don't know, I have no idea.

• 7:21Speaker 07

  And you're in, and is it Nancy?

• 7:23Speaker 03

  Did you call? Yeah.

• 7:26Mike Boudet?

  The man who emerges is frail and hunched over, clutching his jacket. Reginald McLaren is 81 years old, and the stress of this situation is making him look even older. He's a normal old man, except for the distant look in his eyes and a name that doesn't match his accent. He doesn't seem injured, just stunned. Officers help him out of the apartment and plan to take him back to the station to ask a few more questions.

• 7:57Speaker 09

  Yeah, you want to take him in? He's the on-call detective sergeant and on-call staff. You picked a bad time to be on-call supervisor. Uh, looks like he had a double homicide.

• 8:11Mike Boudet?

  The new trainee stands guard at the front door while Reginald gets a pat-down in the hallway. Meanwhile, the handful of officers inside are getting a taste of what they'll be dealing with. Right away, they know it'll be more than their little police department can handle.

• 8:30Speaker 05

  Fuck. Carver's cans. Fuck. Yeah.

• 8:38Speaker 05

  Jesus Christ.

• 8:41Speaker 10

  There's a closet.

• 8:42Speaker 05

  Yeah, house is clear, well, it's like, at least one confirmed so far. Two.

• 8:47Speaker 10

  You have two of them?

• 8:47Speaker 05

  There's two.

• 8:48Speaker 10

  You're going out with you?

• 8:49Speaker 05

  Yeah. You want me to stay inside with? You stay inside for a while. Alright.

• 8:56Mike Boudet?

  The apartment isn't chaotic, it looks like they're in mid-move. Boxes are stacked neatly in corners. Some are sealed, others are half-packed with clothes and books still visible inside. Long on their sides in the living room are two oversized black roller trashcans. The lids are open. With his gun and flashlight drawn, one of the officers carefully steps over to one of the bins and leans down so he can see inside. Immediately, he can see clothing, skin, limbs, and blood. Both of the victims are women. They've been stuffed inside, head-first. Their arms and legs are bent unnaturally.

• 9:42Mike Boudet?

  One of the women's legs hangs partially outside its plastic vessel. There's a towel covering part of the first victim's body. Blood is pooled beneath her. The second woman is positioned mostly face-down. Neither is moving. The officers don't touch the bodies, they don't try CPR. It's already too late.

• 10:06Speaker 09

  Uh, double homicide, uh, 901 Inwood Parkway, innocent Nora. 308 is the apartment number.

• 10:14Speaker 09

  Um, sounds like husband came home, finds his wife and daughter, uh, deceased. They both have been shoved into a trashcan apiece. So it looks like, by all appearances, it would look like whoever did this was trying to put the bodies in a trashcan and take them wherever. Um, husband seems to think he knows who did it. Uh, we're trying to, uh, talk with him, he's pretty shook up, obviously. Um, like, you might wanna call the troops on outside. Or surveillance, in the, like, in the building?

• 10:44Speaker 05

  No, we're, they don't, they don't.

• 10:45Speaker 09

  No.

• 10:46Speaker 05

  Um, just FYI, the stove is covered in blood.

• 10:50Speaker 09

  Oh yeah, I saw that, yeah. I saw that, and if you look, uh, underneath, uh, those bed sheets and stuff, that pillow's covered in blood, and it was, they probably, I think they were hiding something underneath there as well.

• 11:01Speaker 05

  So, um, just for our safety?

• 11:05Speaker 05

  I asked where the suspects could live here. Where's mine? I asked where they might be at 788 Las Jefferson Bus Station. That's the apartment, so. Okay. They're all gang bangers, according to him.

• 11:19Mike Boudet?

  Blood spatters fleck the walls. A pillow soaked in blood lays on the floor near the couch. In a utility closet behind the love seat, they find an axe and what looks like strands of black hair caught in the blade. A handsaw rests nearby. The kitchen sink has hair and blood in the basin. The rest of the unit looks oddly clean. Just before a deputy is about to drive Reginald to the police station to get a formal statement, he complains of chest pain. He explains that he has a history of heart attacks and has recently had open-heart surgery. He's 81 years old, after all.

• 12:02Mike Boudet?

  Finding your wife and daughter brutally murdered is asking for another incident. Luckily, paramedics are just arriving. Out of caution, officers have him transported to Swedish Medical Center for evaluation. An officer is assigned to sit outside his room. If Reginald is right, if this really is about his gang-banging nephews, then he might not be safe. Even in a hospital.

• 12:45Mike Boudet?

  Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability. And it all starts with a great deal on a truck from your local Toyota dealer. Make a smart buy on the off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's most capable and long-lasting trucks. Built with the strength for the tough jobs, the tech to power your next big adventures, and the rugged style for everything in between. Or discover Toyota's off-road lineup, including the iconic 4Runner and Land Cruiser, designed to go beyond the everyday. And with Toyota's proven reputation for quality and reliability, plus available hybrid power on many models,

• 13:29Mike Boudet?

  you can get more for every mile and drive for less along the way. And long after you leave the lot, your Toyota keeps delivering with great resale value. So you can trade in for more when you're ready for your next Toyota. From a great deal today to a great value tomorrow, a Toyota is right for you. Shop toyota.com for deals and details or stop by your local Toyota dealer today. Toyota, let's go places.

• 13:59Speaker 11

  Hi, I'm Jenna Oshkowitz. You might know me from Glee. This is At the Table, the food allergy podcast, a show about food, connection, and what it really looks like to live with food allergies. Each episode, we hear stories from real people like Daniel.

• 14:14Speaker 12

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• 14:25Speaker 11

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• 14:30Speaker 13

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• 14:36Speaker 11

  So join us and hear their stories and more. Because living with food allergies isn't just about what you can't eat, it's about still having your seat at the table. Brought to you by Genentech and Novartis. Listen to At the Table, the food allergy podcast on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow At the Table and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today.

• 14:56Speaker 01

  Ever been on a trip where you felt like an outsider because you couldn't speak the language? That's exactly where Babbel steps in. It's not about mastering textbook grammar or topping leaderboards. It's about real conversations in real places. Imagine speaking a new language confidently in just a few weeks with just 10 minutes a day on Babbel. Designed by over 200 language experts, Babbel teaches you the phrases that locals actually use, not outdated textbook jargon. Plus, it fits into your life effortlessly, whether during a coffee break or right before bed. And here's something for all of you. As listeners of our podcast, you can get up to 60% off your Babbel subscription. Just visit babbel.com/pod. Start your journey to a new language today.

• 15:52Mike Boudet?

  On March 25th, 2023, 81-year-old Reginald McLaren called 911 after discovering his wife and daughter murdered inside their Inglewood, Colorado apartment. The police department and emergency dispatch were wholly unprepared to deal with this situation. Dispatch scrambled, trying to figure out how to get in contact with the state crime scene unit. Officer Aloysius' trainee frantically scribbled names into the crime scene log as personnel swept in and out of the apartment. A lot of these responders were newbies doing their absolute best. The crime scene was now sealed. The victims had been officially pronounced dead.

• 16:35Mike Boudet?

  Reginald was under observation at Swedish Medical Center. And if Reginald's nephews were involved, then time was already working against them. As the investigation unfolded, neighbors started noticing. It was dinnertime for most people, and this group of cops who were jingling their keys and talking in the hall was starting to draw a little bit of attention.

• 16:59Speaker 08

  So the notes say that wife and daughter.

• 17:02Speaker 05

  What notes? Oh, no, who's the guy who came out of here?

• 17:05Speaker 08

  That's the wife or the husband and dad. And so he thinks he knows who it is, something about a hammer. So...

• 17:13Speaker 10

  I got him going back to the station.

• 17:15Speaker 09

  We probably need to do at least a quick Miranda on him. And just talk to him and see what information we can get if this suspect's out, you know, on the ballot, if he's under days of public. We need to find that out as quickly as possible.

• 17:30Speaker 09

  How does he know this, you know, he, how does he know he knows who did it, that type of thing?

• 17:35Speaker 10

  Yeah.

• 17:35Speaker 09

  But, and definitely Miranda's in for it.

• 17:37Speaker 14

  Is everything okay?

• 17:38Speaker 10

  Everything's okay.

• 17:39Speaker 09

  Talk to him real quick.

• 17:40Speaker 10

  Just see it.

• 17:42Speaker 09

  Yeah.

• 17:42Speaker 10

  Can I come in?

• 17:43Speaker 14

  Yeah, please.

• 17:44Speaker 10

  How are you guys?

• 17:45Speaker 14

  Good, how are you?

• 17:46Speaker 10

  Uh, have you guys heard anything suspicious or anything lately with your neighbors?

• 17:53Speaker 14

  I saw him, I left around, um, like four, when did I leave? I went to the liquor store around like three or four and he was leaving, he locked his apartment and was walking to his car. And then I got in my car and then I saw him come back. Around like three o'clock, three or four, whenever I had texted you. Yeah. Yeah.

• 18:15Speaker 10

  Can we get that, can we get that text to see what time it was? Did you guys hear anything?

• 18:21Speaker 14

  No, and they, they're supposed to be moving soon, they told me. They're super nice.

• 18:26Speaker 10

  Okay, did you know the daughter and the, is he the husband?

• 18:29Speaker 14

  Yeah, I know there's a daughter, a husband and a wife, right? I think, I don't.

• 18:35Speaker 10

  Did they, have you ever seen any like disturbances?

• 18:37Speaker 14

  No, I, I've heard talking a lot in the hall and I've heard doors slam. But I thought that they were moving and it was just kind of, okay. Yeah.

• 18:52Speaker 10

  When's the last time you saw mom and daughter?

• 18:55Speaker 14

  I don't, I don't know, I haven't seen them in a while, I've only seen him. I saw mom and daughter. Okay, the last time I saw them, I can tell you exactly, because the fire alarm went off here.

• 19:07Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 19:07Speaker 14

  And I saw them leaving and I-

• 19:09Speaker 10

  Did they ever express any-

• 19:11Speaker 08

  Like problems?

• 19:12Speaker 15

  No, nothing. They've always been super nice.

• 19:14Speaker 08

  Never thought, never said like, watch out for a suspicious person?

• 19:18Speaker 15

  Huh?

• 19:19Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 19:20Speaker 15

  I saw them on Tuesday. I saw the daughter. Oh, yeah, because you said. Yeah, they had their door open and they were cooking food and I smelled it and it smelled really good. And so I looked in and I saw, I'm assuming it's the daughter. She looked younger. Yep.

• 19:32Mike Boudet?

  This is what they heard on repeat from all the neighbors. No one knew the family well. No one even knew their names, but they could always smell delicious food coming from their open door.

• 19:44Speaker 06

  I see them all the time. They seem really friendly. They, well, the, the guy speaks and the woman not so much.

• 19:49Mike Boudet?

  Mm-hmm.

• 19:50Speaker 06

  Um, seem like they just kind of come in and out. Um, I think, I think he works at an RTD or like, like, like the light rail or something like that. He always has a phone to pull him on.

• 20:00Speaker 08

  The RTD or the light rail stuff?

• 20:02Speaker 06

  Yeah, the rest of, um, and the mom, I don't really see very much.

• 20:06Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 20:07Speaker 06

  At times they like cook things and so they kind of think they have to air out their apartment at times.

• 20:10Speaker 08

  Yeah, I think your other neighbor said like they leave their door open and you can smell it.

• 20:13Speaker 06

  Smell it.

• 20:13Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 20:15Speaker 06

  Haven't heard any like issues or complaints or.

• 20:17Speaker 08

  You haven't heard anything?

• 20:18Speaker 06

  Not anything super loud or banging that I'm aware of.

• 20:21Speaker 08

  Okay. And since the Wednesday, you haven't seen anybody?

• 20:24Speaker 06

  No. Yeah. I hope they're okay. Um, but.

• 20:28Speaker 08

  Well, to be a hundred percent honest with you.

• 20:31Speaker 06

  Mm-hmm.

• 20:31Speaker 08

  Um, mom and daughter are deceased. And so we're trying to figure out what is going on. So that's why I'm asking you so many.

• 20:41Speaker 06

  Yeah, yeah. Okay.

• 20:44Speaker 08

  Yeah. Yeah. I guess I could have led with that before I started asking you, when are you coming back?

• 20:48Speaker 06

  No, I'm sure.

• 20:49Speaker 08

  Yeah. So we're trying to figure out what's going on.

• 20:51Mike Boudet?

  Police continued canvassing nearby units. One neighbor who lived just a few doors down from the family told officers he remembered running into Reginald in the parking lot.

• 21:02Speaker 16

  I don't even know dude's name. I just called him up. Mr. Oh, he says, Kim, I'm doing good, you know, but.

• 21:08Speaker 08

  Yeah.

• 21:09Speaker 16

  He, uh, sorry. Um, he came over to me the other day while I was smoking in the garage. He was like, uh, can you do me a favor? Uh, we're moving up on Saturday. And I was like, okay. He was like, if it's after hours, can I drop off the keys to you? And I was like, okay. I told him my apartment number. Then we saw him walking around this morning and.

• 21:33Speaker 08

  Did you ever make a plan to leave the keys with you at any point?

• 21:37Speaker 16

  Um, he just said if he had to, I dropped them off.

• 21:42Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 21:43Speaker 16

  He said he was going overseas, but he was gonna come back.

• 21:47Speaker 08

  And then, uh, did you ever see his wife and daughter?

• 21:52Speaker 16

  Yeah.

• 21:53Speaker 08

  When was the last time you saw them?

• 21:55Speaker 16

  Um, probably yesterday.

• 21:59Speaker 08

  And he never meant, did he ever mention anything about that? Did he, when he said they were moving overseas?

• 22:04Speaker 16

  They were moving out, but he did say, "I'm going overseas," so I didn't...

• 22:10Speaker 08

  Like "I" as in singular?

• 22:11Speaker 16

  Yeah, singular.

• 22:14Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 22:15Mike Boudet?

  The women stuffed inside the trash cans were 70-year-old Bethany McLaren and her 35-year-old daughter Ruth. Bethany and Reginald moved to America in the 80s and really kept to themselves. Back at the hospital, some of these details were beginning to come up in conversation with the officer assigned to watch over Reginald's room. Apparently, Reginald was born in India and his wife Bethany was from Nepal. Reginald had an estranged son from another marriage and then there was his daughter Ruth.

• 22:50Speaker 17

  I can sit back.

• 22:54Speaker 17

  Is your heart feeling okay now, a little bit?

• 22:56Speaker 18

  Yeah.

• 22:57Speaker 17

  Okay.

• 22:59Speaker 18

  And then use some sugar and...

• 23:00Speaker 17

  Yeah, okay. Give you, you want a blanket for now, is that okay?

• 23:04Speaker 18

  Yeah.

• 23:05Speaker 17

  I'll give you, it's kind of a temperature until we can get you some regular clothes, okay? But it's better than nothing, okay? So, next thing we're gonna do, again, this is all, it's all on your permission too, so we get like a hand swab of the DNA in your hand to show that, basically, that's your DNA. So if we find other people's DNA, then we know that's not your DNA. You know what I'm saying? No. So, like, like, I'm touching this, right? Mm-hmm. Then you touch it, then I can compare your DNA to this DNA. So, we don't, we don't say, like, who's this? So, we have yours to show. Is that okay to do? Yeah. Okay, thank you.

• 23:42Mike Boudet?

  It wasn't just his four prior heart attacks that had detectives worried. They wanted a full medical evaluation on Reginald because he told one of the officers that after he got home after 3:00 PM and found Bethany and Ruth in the trash cans, he passed out. It wasn't until around 6:00 PM that he tried to call the apartment property management's office. And then, after that, he called 911. Here are the property managers. You guys are all hidden back in here. Hi.

• 24:15Speaker 07

  Hi, I'm Lindsay.

• 24:16Mike Boudet?

  Lindsay Bryan.

• 24:17Speaker 07

  Nice to meet you. Stormy, Stormy. We're here too and live here. We've got, we've got everybody.

• 24:21Mike Boudet?

  Sure.

• 24:22Speaker 07

  Okay. I can hold it. You look great, bud. Oh, I do not. Look great, thank you, okay.

• 24:27Mike Boudet?

  How do I look, for gosh sakes?

• 24:28Speaker 07

  Beautiful, so good.

• 24:31Mike Boudet?

  Remember, this is a Saturday night. Everyone, including some of these cops, had been relaxing at home before all this happened. It's my day off, so I'm like, I don't know. What are you gonna do? That happens when you're shore staff, right? I'm sure you guys, you guys are playing the same boat.

• 24:48Speaker 07

  We do know, I do know.

• 24:49Mike Boudet?

  Here's the voicemail Reginald left.

• 24:52Speaker 18

  Around 3 o'clock, I found my wife, and my daughter was murdered. So, I'm going to call the.

• 24:59Speaker 14

  My husband said that she had it was left at 6:02 PM.

• 25:02Mike Boudet?

  Okay. Now, let's swing back over to the hospital.

• 25:06Speaker 17

  So, make sure you have no injuries on you? No arms, no legs? Okay. We're gonna take a picture just to make sure that you have no injuries, just to show that you had no injuries, okay? Can you put your arms up for me? That'll make sure that you're okay, no injuries.

• 25:21Speaker 17

  But you weren't hurt at all?

• 25:23Speaker 03

  No.

• 25:23Speaker 17

  Yeah, you weren't hurt at all?

• 25:25Speaker 03

  No, I wasn't hurt.

• 25:26Speaker 17

  Okay. I'll make sure. I heard that you, you passed out?

• 25:31Speaker 03

  Oh, yeah.

• 25:31Speaker 17

  But you didn't hit your head or nothing like that, or?

• 25:34Speaker 03

  I have no idea.

• 25:35Speaker 17

  Okay.

• 25:35Speaker 03

  I might have hit, but...

• 25:37Speaker 17

  We'll take some pictures real quick just to make sure, okay?

• 25:40Mike Boudet?

  Imagine waking up on the floor three hours after finding your wife and daughter murdered. You've just come back to reality. You remember what happened. You're panicked and confused. Now, listen to how Reginald McLaren sounds when he calls nine one one.

• 25:57Speaker 07

  Nine one one, where's your emergency?

• 26:00Speaker 03

  Yeah, yes ma'am, this is Reggie McLaren. I am calling from Art Walk apartment. Apartment N three oh eight. I came around three o'clock and I found my wife and my daughter murdered. Yeah, hi, this is Reggie McLaren. Apartment N three oh eight. I just wanted to inform you that when I entered my apartment around three o'clock, I found my wife and my daughter murdered. So I'm going to call the Eastwood Police right now.

• 26:34Speaker 14

  I almost said that channel was left at six oh two T M.

• 26:38Mike Boudet?

  Now that you've heard both the voicemail he left for the property manager and this nine one one call, don't they sound eerily similar? Almost rehearsed? Here's the rest of the call.

• 26:53Speaker 07

  Okay, and how were they injured? Can you tell?

• 26:56Speaker 03

  Well, ma'am, I, I, I am very disturbed. I have no idea. The hour is secure.

• 27:02Speaker 07

  I'm getting help to you, okay? I'm getting help to you. Do you know who did this?

• 27:08Speaker 03

  Pardon? Yeah, well, before I say, before I, before I go further, I want to tell you that our security door in the garage door is always open. I mean, it is never locked.

• 27:21Speaker 07

  Answer my questions, okay? I understand this is very hard and I'm getting you lots of help. But how were they hurt? Were they shot? Were they stabbed? Can you tell me how they were injured?

• 27:34Speaker 03

  They were stabbed. Not stabbed, they, somebody used a hammer, hammer or... I, I don't know, you know?

• 27:44Speaker 07

  Where are you at now? Where are you at now?

• 27:46Speaker 03

  I'm in my apartment. I am in my apartment, ma'am.

• 27:49Speaker 07

  I need you to step out. I don't want you to be in there, okay?

• 27:54Speaker 03

  Oh, step out, okay.

• 27:55Speaker 07

  I, okay, have you touched anything?

• 28:00Speaker 03

  Well, I went into the room, uh, I just looked my, my wife's purse, my daughter's purse, their IDs were gone. All the things are all upside down, you know, so, uh, she-

• 28:13Speaker 07

  Okay, so who did this?

• 28:15Speaker 03

  Do, do the officers, it's a security building and they come in here still?

• 28:19Speaker 07

  Yes, we have lots of people coming. We even have an ambulance coming, okay? Who did this? Can you tell me who did it?

• 28:26Speaker 03

  Yeah, well, we had a long committee with our nephew, Rajin, uh, Rajin Bitya, and the another one is Milan Khawas. They are both my wife's nephew.

• 28:40Speaker 07

  Is he there?

• 28:42Speaker 03

  Oh, no, no, he, he is, he ran away from our home and he just goes all over the places. He's in gangs and here and there.

• 28:50Speaker 07

  And I just wanna make sure, so your wife and daughter are currently inside the apartment in which room?

• 28:57Speaker 03

  Uh, master bedroom.

• 29:00Speaker 07

  They're in the bedroom?

• 29:01Speaker 03

  Master bedroom.

• 29:04Speaker 07

  Okay. Do you have any weapons?

• 29:06Speaker 03

  Me? No.

• 29:07Speaker 07

  Okay. So wife and daughter are both in the master bedroom?

• 29:12Speaker 03

  No, they are not in the master bedroom. They were sleeping, uh, I, I don't know what to explain, but they are in the living room right now.

• 29:19Speaker 07

  Okay, in the living room. Okay, thank you.

• 29:22Mike Boudet?

  Am I the only one disturbed, by the way, she says, "Okay, thank you", like it's just a routine checklist she's going through? Like she's asking for the ingredients to make a batch of cookies? Maybe it's just me.

• 29:37Speaker 07

  And are you in the hallway?

• 29:39Speaker 03

  No, I am going in the hallway because I want to put on my jacket. It's very cold there.

• 29:44Speaker 07

  Okay. My officers are there though, and they need you to not be in the apartment, okay?

• 29:49Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 29:50Speaker 07

  So let me know when you stepped out into the hallway, because my officers are gonna meet you in the hallway.

• 29:56Speaker 03

  Okay.

• 29:57Speaker 07

  Okay, and when did you, how long ago did you find them? What time did you come home and find them?

• 30:02Speaker 03

  I, I don't know, man. I don't know.

• 30:05Speaker 07

  Okay.

• 30:05Speaker 03

  I don't know. I have no idea.

• 30:09Speaker 07

  And you're in, and is it Nancy?

• 30:11Speaker 03

  You go? Yeah.

• 30:14Mike Boudet?

  Did you catch any inconsistencies? Inglewood Police were starting to rethink the idea that the suspects were on the loose somewhere. Now let's rewind just a little bit. Remember this neighbor?

• 30:29Mike Boudet?

  She had mentioned earlier that she had seen Reginald that day. Around the same time that he said he had discovered his wife and daughter's bodies.

• 30:39Speaker 14

  I went to the liquor store around like three or four. And he was leaving. He locked his apartment and was walking to his car. And then I got in my car and then I saw him come back.

• 30:48Speaker 15

  She texted me at 3:55.

• 30:51Speaker 10

  That's where she left?

• 30:52Speaker 14

  Yeah, so I was like, you want to come over?

• 30:54Speaker 15

  Yeah.

• 30:54Speaker 14

  And I was at the liquor store when you texted me back.

• 30:57Speaker 10

  And he is leaving as you were leaving?

• 30:59Speaker 14

  Yeah, well, he went to his car.

• 31:02Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 31:03Speaker 14

  I don't, I saw, I was like, hi. He normally says hi to me and he didn't say anything.

• 31:07Speaker 10

  He just kind of, he acknowledged you?

• 31:10Speaker 14

  He said hi and then kept walking. Normally he'll like stop and chat with me.

• 31:14Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 31:14Speaker 14

  So he locked his door and then he

• 31:19Speaker 14

  came. Yeah, and then he went to the parking lot and while I, while I was going in the parking lot, he walked past me. And didn't say anything and then came back.

• 31:27Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 31:28Speaker 14

  Which I thought was kind of weird because then I was like, oh, he's probably leaving. That's why I saw you guys out there. I was like, I need to go talk to you.

• 31:36Speaker 10

  Yeah, absolutely. So.

• 31:38Mike Boudet?

  Right after this officer leaves the woman's apartment, he tells his colleagues they'll be, um, changing course.

• 31:48Speaker 14

  Thank you.

• 31:52Speaker 10

  We need to find this car.

• 31:53Speaker 05

  Are you good? Need to find a car?

• 31:55Speaker 10

  We need to find a car.

• 31:56Speaker 05

  Why?

• 31:58Speaker 10

  Around 3:55 today, she was going to the store. She saw him walk to the car. He had locked the door, walked to the car. Doesn't know what she did in the car, but he came back.

• 32:10Speaker 05

  What car is it?

• 32:10Speaker 10

  It's a white sedan, possibly on the same floor that we're at. They have a...

• 32:14Speaker 05

  Go look for it.

• 32:16Mike Boudet?

  So someone goes over to the adjoining parking garage to find Reginald's SUV. And when they do, everything kinda starts to make sense.

• 32:26Speaker 05

  He locked the door at 3:55? So Bryce was seen. I called him very early. And then she doesn't know when he came back? No, he should be dead.

• 32:37Speaker 05

  I didn't see if there was any warmth to them or not, but... I didn't either. But this...

• 32:43Speaker 05

  So for... I don't think this was done in two hours. What is on the sofa? Some of it, but dude, there's a lot more missing. Did you see the towels that were stuffed in here in this one? And then you see down the front of the trash can.

• 32:56Speaker 09

  Any indication why Dad thinks that guy is a suspect?

• 32:59Speaker 05

  So, not yet, but we just were informed by Bryce that it sounds like he... Dad left at 3:55. She's... Neighbor saw him driving at his car. And so Bryce is going to locate the car right now with the neighbor that saw it. That was around 4:00. And he's saying, if I'm hearing what Bryce said correctly, he locked this door left of the car and came back.

• 33:22Speaker 09

  So that might be our suspect.

• 33:23Speaker 05

  That might be our suspect. Potentially. I'm gonna go see what Bryce has at the car. You guys good here? Oh, yeah, yeah, we're good. Stay here with the crime scene log.

• 33:30Mike Boudet?

  Detective Aloysius walks to the parking garage and spots his colleague, who's peering in through the windows of the SUV.

• 33:38Speaker 05

  Just tell him it's flat.

• 33:45Speaker 05

  Stay with this car till when we touch it.

• 33:48Speaker 05

  Hey, who's?

• 33:53Speaker 05

  Yeah, we'll be, we'll, we'll touch base here a little bit. The backseat of the SUV is completely flat, so I got Price sitting on it.

• 33:59Mike Boudet?

  The apartment complex has its own trash system, one that doesn't require any kind of rolling cans you'd leave on the side of the road. Could Reginald have flattened the backseats to make room for the new trashcans that were now in his apartment? With this possibility in mind, they have to find a neighbor with a doorbell camera. They need to get footage of whoever brought those trashcans into the apartment.

• 34:26Speaker 10

  Hi there, can I come in for a second?

• 34:27Speaker 08

  Yeah, you're going.

• 34:29Speaker 10

  How are you guys?

• 34:29Speaker 08

  Doing alright.

• 34:30Speaker 10

  I'm Grant, I'm with the police department, obviously. Um, are you saying?

• 34:35Speaker 08

  The angle was that?

• 34:36Speaker 10

  Yeah. You're saying you guys might have some video or something?

• 34:39Speaker 08

  Yeah, I have, uh, on the video, uh, doorbell over there. I'm not entirely sure, uh, what times, I think he said like, uh, around 3:30 was like one of them.

• 34:50Speaker 10

  Okay.

• 34:50Speaker 08

  Um, but it just catches clips, I think this was like, one that they were like, looking at.

• 34:57Speaker 05

  So, you know what I'm looking for? Is, uh, someone dragging a trashcan, a couple trashcans?

• 35:03Speaker 08

  Okay.

• 35:04Speaker 05

  Like they, like the rolling ones?

• 35:05Speaker 08

  Oh, gotcha.

• 35:05Speaker 05

  Um...

• 35:07Speaker 08

  Yeah, I haven't, like, we hear that sometimes, like, at night with...

• 35:10Speaker 05

  Do you guys get roll trashcans here, you put your trash outside and they collect it?

• 35:13Speaker 08

  They collect it, but they have like, a big, like...

• 35:16Speaker 05

  Like one of those ones you see, like, like at a school, right?

• 35:18Speaker 08

  Yeah, that they push and then come by and collect them.

• 35:23Mike Boudet?

  In this 911 call, Reginald weirdly mentions that whoever did this must have started the cleanup process and couldn't finish it. Was he talking about himself? I mean, who breaks into a place, kills people, and then tries to remove the bodies? Why would you do that unless you live there? The car discovery, paired with Reginald's claim that his wife and daughter's purses were empty, prompted a search of the big dumpsters on the ground floor of the apartment complex. Inside, they found an Xfinity bill addressed to Reggie McLaren, a credit union bank

• 36:01Mike Boudet?

  statement for the couple, numerous ID cards for Ruth, three of Bethany's driver's licenses, and both women's social security cards. All of these items had been cut up. They found bloody clothes, too. This all wasn't looking very good. The next logical step was to find out which hardware store the rolling trash cans were from. Maybe they'd even be able to get security camera footage of Reginald buying the items. So, the deputy went to nearly every store in the area. Finally, he arrived at a particular Home Depot.

• 36:43Speaker 19

  Yep, we got it. That's good. Sounds good. Okay. Nope, that's it. Thank you. Hey, damn near see. It's a... There we go.

• 36:56Speaker 16

  Well done.

• 36:58Speaker 19

  There we go. So, what I could do is, I could go back a footage of when he's... He entered the store without items?

• 37:08Speaker 16

  Yeah, if you can follow him from his car, see where his... The car he is.

• 37:14Speaker 19

  Almost didn't go past this, because... I don't know if he's... What's he doing?

• 37:20Speaker 16

  Look, he forgot where he parked. Is that him? Yeah, that's him.

• 37:26Speaker 19

  It's taking a long time to locate his items.

• 37:28Speaker 16

  Yeah. While he's in the, like, in the tools section, probably?

• 37:32Speaker 19

  The drawer in the trash cans.

• 37:33Speaker 16

  Trash cans?

• 37:34Speaker 19

  Yeah. There he is.

• 37:37Speaker 16

  Ah, yeah. So, he's already picked the trash cans?

• 37:41Speaker 19

  Yeah, it's green.

• 37:46Speaker 19

  I never thought like I would come to that cuz like I've always thought cuz you see these people with these items and be like you wonder what they use it for. The last time when I was cashiering, I saw a guy with a chart, shovel, and like buckets and gloves. And I was like, oh, my God, looks so sketchy and stuff.

• 38:05Mike Boudet?

  Yeah, I don't know. Her enthusiasm is cute, isn't it? Bet you never thought she'd be in a real-life episode of CSI. Anyway, this footage showed him not only purchasing the two trashcans, but also a Stanley brand handsaw. Good brand. He paid for all the items with cash. And remember that neighbor with the doorbell camera? He found footage from March 9th that showed Reginald wheeling his two brand-new trashcans back to his apartment. Weird. Then there was that long-handled axe. Footage showed Reginald in Harbor Freight's checkout line with his axe

• 38:48Mike Boudet?

  in hand. Again, he used cash. This was all on March 9th, just before 4:00 PM. Shortly after he got home that day, doorbell footage showed the three of them, Reginald, Bethany, and their daughter Ruth, all leaving the apartment. Then they get back around 7:15 PM, having just gone on an outing with the man who would soon end their lives. While investigators rewound camera feeds and matched timestamps, a sense of disbelief washed over everyone. How could 81-year-old Reginald, elderly and frail, have done any of this?

• 39:29Speaker 18

  I'm the admitting doctor, okay? I looked through your chart a little bit. Can you tell me what happened today? How you ended up in the hospital?

• 39:41Speaker 18

  Oh, I made a mistake and that's why.

• 39:44Mike Boudet?

  So, the doctor asked him what happened and Reginald said, "Oh, I made a mistake and that's why." The audio isn't perfect, it's from the body-worn camera of the officer sitting in Reginald's hospital room. Reginald calls the doctor "Doc", that might help you follow it a little bit better.

• 40:08Speaker 18

  Well, I was checking my blood pressure and everything so that it's clear that the doctor was saying something very serious. It's a name, it's a name. I heard that you went home and that you found some of your family there.

• 40:27Speaker 18

  Well, you know, there are... I'm not trying to be a jerk. No, no, it's all right. I have lived here for forty years and I'm eighty-three. And I take care of my family, basically. And we were at the jail cell then. We just ran out of money. At this age, I'm thinking, nobody will hire me. Nobody will hire me. And the family keep pressing me to take an apartment and go there and I am moving. I had it. And then I have some money here, still I have eight thousand dollars in my big case at home. But that was only for one month. And to sign this for fifteen. And you have to cut this really short, Doctor.

• 41:10Speaker 18

  I didn't want to see my family in the street, Betty. I don't want to see, no matter what happens. But I just, because I see people on roads and homeless and this. That's a miserable situation, you think that I'm crying? And I also want to die.

• 41:32Speaker 18

  So you you killed them? Uh huh. Both of them? Yeah. Um, okay. Um, and then and you passed out, is that correct? Then I passed out.

• 41:44Mike Boudet?

  The doctor asks him, so you killed them? Both of them? And Reginald admitted that he had.

• 41:51Speaker 18

  And I pray to God, please, you know you killed me. But I don't want to see my student begging for this treatment and get homeless. How my daughter can live even for the one day?

• 42:06Mike Boudet?

  After this shockingly calm admission, so creepy, really. Reginald continued, telling the doctor that he used to work for HSS, Security Company, in a hospital setting. During his time there, he saw the harsh reality of homelessness every day. He said that after he lost his job, he knew that he and his family would end up like these people, begging on the side of the road. At his age, no one would hire him. To make matters worse, he said that they were being evicted. Bethany and Ruth were pressuring him to sign a lease on a new apartment, and Reginald said he was down to his last $8,000,

• 42:51Mike Boudet?

  which wouldn't be enough for first and last month's rent, plus a security deposit and his daughter's medication.

• 43:00Mike Boudet?

  Thirty-five-year-old Ruth lived with cerebral palsy and required constant monitoring. Her meds were $800 a month, according to Reginald, who really emphasized that he'd been taking care of his wife and daughter for 35 years. His family depended on him, relied on him. They couldn't survive without him. Apparently, it had just become too much. He said he'd started planning about 10 days prior. He just couldn't see any other way out.

• 43:52Mike Boudet?

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• 44:36Mike Boudet?

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• 45:06Speaker 11

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• 45:21Speaker 12

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• 45:32Speaker 11

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• 45:37Speaker 13

  One of the best guys that I dated, he made a point to memorize all my food allergies.

• 45:43Speaker 11

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• 46:03Speaker 01

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• 46:59Mike Boudet?

  On March 25th, 2023, from a hospital bed under police watch, 81-year-old Reginald McLaren calmly admitted he had murdered his wife and daughter. He said he'd spent decades supporting them, but when he lost his job and found out they were being evicted, he saw only one path forward.

• 47:19Speaker 18

  Everything, officer.

• 47:21Mike Boudet?

  I'm sorry?

• 47:22Speaker 18

  I can tolerate in life, everything, you know. There are times when we had hard time and days in there, sickness, problems, but I cannot see nice and fun, like I can be, begging of it, without hope.

• 47:39Mike Boudet?

  According to Reginald, the plan had been in motion for a week. Here's what investigators believe happened that final day. Sometime in the early afternoon, he grabbed an axe, the one he bought at Harbor Freight. He set aside the handsaw, that was for later. He purchased everything he needed using cash, like the two rolling trashcans. He wheeled them through the parking lot by himself. They were now waiting in his living room, lids propped open. Bethany, his wife of nearly 40 years, was likely sitting on the couch. He struck her first, hard enough to slice through a major artery, causing a blood spray that painted the wall behind her.

• 48:24Mike Boudet?

  Then he turned on Ruth, hacking away at her. She was thirty-five years old and Reginald said she had cerebral palsy. Detectives believe she may have been standing near the kitchen at the time. Later, they found the sink drain clogged with blood and hair. Clear evidence of an effort to clean up what was becoming an unmanageably messy situation. After they were both dead, Reginald used a combination of the axe and the saw to remove one of his wife's legs. It was harder than he imagined it would be, so he abandoned that idea.

• 49:03Mike Boudet?

  Instead, he forcibly bent Bethany and Ruth's limbs at awkward angles so they'd fit. He draped a towel over his wife, but it didn't cover much. He looked down, out of breath, and knew he still had to get both of these bins to stand up so he could roll them down the hall and into his SUV. One of Bethany's legs was still sticking out, lying on top of the open lid. Blood was starting to pool around each of the bins. Reginald panicked. His chest felt tight. He knew this feeling. Quickly, he cut up both of the women's identification cards, driver's licenses, and social security

• 49:48Mike Boudet?

  cards. He tossed the pieces down the trash chute into the apartment's main dumpster, along with bloody clothes and other personal effects. Then he picked up his phone and called the property manager, followed by 911. In his 911 call, Reginald said to the dispatcher, "Whoever did this probably started the cleanup, but got tired and gave up." And that's exactly what he did. During the process of hauling bodies, cleaning blood, and lugging heavy plastic bins into position, Reginald overexerted himself. He began to feel the familiar warnings of a heart attack.

• 50:31Mike Boudet?

  He'd already suffered four and had recently undergone open-heart surgery. He just got scared, scared that he was about to die. Getting medical attention for himself became the number-one priority. I wonder how he was gonna pay for that.

• 50:49Speaker 20

  Handcuffs and handcuffs. A horrifying crime in Englewood and the suspect talked about Colorado's housing crisis with investigators. The 81-year-old man told them he killed and dismembered his wife and daughter because he could no longer afford to pay the rent. They were murdered in an apartment building in the Englewood city center, just off Hampton Avenue and Santa Fe Drive. Karen Morphet on the story tonight, and Karen, the man told police he didn't want his family to suffer through homelessness.

• 51:18Speaker 21

  During his arrest, he reportedly told police that he had no regrets because he felt like they were in a better place. Now, police responding today, pleading for anyone who may be struggling to ask for help. According to the arrest affidavit, McLaren confessed to the murders, telling detectives he had recently lost his job and the family was about to be evicted. Having worked with the homeless population before, he told police he, quote, "knew what a miserable life that was." Having planned for several days, he allegedly carried out those murders the morning they were to vacate.

• 51:52Speaker 22

  You know, he seemed distraught, maybe, and I don't know what the reasons for his actions were. I mean, that's part of our investigation. We're trying to determine why he did what he did. But as far as our dealings with him, he was more than cooperative.

• 52:08Speaker 21

  Now, McLaren is expected in court sometime later this week. We know the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office will identify those victims once their family is notified.

• 52:18Mike Boudet?

  Notifying extended family about Bethany and Ruth's deaths was more difficult than expected. Who were these women? The family had lived in the same building for years and yet, no one seemed to know them beyond their friendly smiles and the smell of food wafting from their unit.

• 52:36Speaker 23

  Well, Jim, and the sadness over this terrible, terrible crime is the realization that this family lived quietly in an Englewood apartment building. The mother in victim in this case, Bethany McLaren, was apparently from overseas. But without the help of her husband, the suspect finding her family has been difficult. And so the coroner's office has reached out for help.

• 52:58Mike Boudet?

  There was no one to claim Bethany and Ruth's bodies. No one to plan their funerals or give them a peaceful sign off. When leaders at the Colorado Nepal Alliance found out about this situation, they couldn't let it end like this. There had to be someone who knew and loved these women.

• 53:19Speaker 23

  They knew Bethany McLaren first got a social security number after arriving in the US somewhere in the 80s and a little bit more, but no one knew her relatives. The coroner's office called you.

• 53:30Speaker 24

  Yeah, they called me the Tuesday after the murders.

• 53:34Speaker 23

  Anne Hines and Sangita Shrotria are both part of the Colorado Nepal Alliance. And the coroner had found the mom, Bethany, had another name.

• 53:44Speaker 24

  The fact that her name was Pavitra was a good clue that she might, if she wasn't Nepali, that a claim of Nepali descent was likely.

• 53:51Speaker 23

  And so they set to work to find family to remember them and their past.

• 53:56Mike Boudet?

  They brought a photo of Bethany to a local funeral. Someone in the Englewood Nepal community had passed away and 600 people were in attendance, all people who might know these women.

• 54:09Speaker 23

  Somebody has to mourn these women.

• 54:12Speaker 24

  Yeah.

• 54:14Speaker 23

  With a photo from Bethany McLaren's license, Sangita began to ask everyone she could in the 10,000-plus member Nepali community.

• 54:23Speaker 25

  So I took the picture to the funeral and said, "Do you guys know her?" And there were around like 600 people and nobody could tell that they knew her.

• 54:31Mike Boudet?

  Eventually, a man in Kansas responded, saying he remembered a woman named Pavitra.

• 54:38Mike Boudet?

  She'd helped him find a job back in Colorado years prior. When he saw her name and photo, he was pretty sure this was the same woman. So she was a kind woman.

• 54:48Speaker 25

  She was, yeah.

• 54:50Mike Boudet?

  Then, after our reporting of the name got out, a woman reached out from India, one who, as a little girl, once posed for a photo with Ruth McLaren.

• 55:00Speaker 25

  Then she opened up, and it happened to be Pavitra's niece.

• 55:05Mike Boudet?

  The woman confirmed that she recognized both Bethany and Ruth. Apparently, Bethany was originally Pavitra Rana, born in northern India, but of Nepali origin. She worked as a nurse and eventually moved to the United States, where she married Reginald after meeting him through a newspaper ad, of all things.

• 55:25Speaker 25

  It looks like they had been in India for a few generations, because both of Pavitra and her sister were born in India. There are so many uncovered part of the stories that we don't know yet about their life. I'm sure they have touched more life than we know.

• 55:42Speaker 24

  I'm sure they have too.

• 55:43Speaker 25

  Yeah.

• 55:44Mike Boudet?

  They had succeeded in finding a needle in a haystack, one single member of Bethany's family. But they were too far away to help at the funeral, so these two women from the Colorado-Nepal alliance took it upon themselves. You didn't have to do this.

• 56:02Speaker 24

  Yeah, I did have to do it, because

• 56:09Speaker 24

  these women were so brutally murdered.

• 56:11Speaker 25

  Yeah.

• 56:12Speaker 24

  And so few people in the Denver metro area knew them. And I could not imagine that there were people there that were grieving for them.

• 56:22Mike Boudet?

  There was no family statement, no recent photo, no custom obituary. Instead, just a Bible verse.

• 56:33Mike Boudet?

  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.

• 57:15Mike Boudet?

  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all of the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. No mention of her daughter, her work as a nurse, nothing. Bethany and Ruth McLaren lived quietly, but they died violently. And if not for the kindness of strangers, they would have been buried without anyone to grieve them. Everything we know about them comes from the fragments they left behind. Whether it be a neighbor's memory, a community's sorrow, or a killer's version of events.

• 57:59Mike Boudet?

  And Reginald's side of the story was built entirely on his lies. Because here's the horrible truth. The McLaren family wasn't facing homelessness. Detectives recovered several documents addressed to Reginald and Bethany. One of those documents was a statement from a credit union. It showed an account balance of over eleven thousand dollars. Keep in mind, this was just one of their accounts. In his hospital bed confession, Reginald had also mentioned a briefcase with eight thousand dollars in it. If that doesn't convince you that his entire excuse was a lie, maybe this will.

• 58:41Mike Boudet?

  There was no evidence that Reginald and his family were about to be evicted whatsoever. There was no eviction notice, no court order, and it was just that their lease was up. So that's it. It was all a lie. This wasn't a man pushed into a corner. Reginald had made a decision. He was done being the pillar of his family. He was done having a family altogether. It was on April 3rd, 2023, that Reginald was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of tampering with a deceased human body, and one count of false reporting.

• 59:26Mike Boudet?

  On January 23rd, 2024, he entered a not guilty plea. His trial began in June of 2024. It was a somber, quiet courtroom. No one sat in the gallery behind the defense table, and no one sat behind the prosecutors. Well, at least, there was no one in attendance that really knew the McLaren family. Anne Hines, the executive director of the Colorado-Nepal Alliance, attended the entire trial. Just like she'd helped plan Bethany and Ruth's burial, she wanted to be there when justice was finally served. Anne sounds like a nice person. We need more Anne's.

• 1:00:09Speaker 24

  This is Bethany when she was a nurse in the Indian Army. This is Ruth, right here, when she was young. The only pictures that the jury got to see of them were the pictures when they were dead. The hardest part for me was hearing how many times he had struck his daughter with an axe.

• 1:00:28Mike Boudet?

  The evidence shown at trial was convincing. After about a week in court, and just a few hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all charges.

• 1:00:39Speaker 24

  The prosecution had a very good case, and they just reiterated all the pre-planning that had gone into these murders. He had purchased the axe, the saw, and the trash cans. I think I was hoping to try to understand why these two murders had occurred, but I left without any answers. I thought maybe having him convicted might make me feel better, but I don't. Ruth and Bethany are still deceased.

• 1:01:11Mike Boudet?

  Anne, who had been in contact with Bethany's family in India, told them about the guilty verdict. One of Bethany’s friends ended up writing a letter for the sentencing hearing. She asked Dan to read it on her behalf.

• 1:01:25Speaker 26

  I have known Pavitra Rana, also known as Bethany, for the last half a century. We both belong to Kalampong, a small hill town in eastern India. She was born, brought up, and did her schooling in one of the famous missionary schools, the Kalampong Girls’ High School. We worshipped in the same Presbyterian church. After her schooling, she did her diploma in nursing. In the late 1970s, she joined the Indian Army as a nursing officer in the rank of lieutenant. She continued working and was promoted to the rank of captain. Around 1986, she married Reginald McLaren. After marriage, she resigned from the Army and moved with her husband to Denver, Colorado, in the US.

• 1:02:07Speaker 26

  In 1996, she came to visit us in India with her husband and daughter. Thereafter, we were in occasional contact over the phone. Last I remember speaking with her was in 2015. After that, I was unable to contact her despite trying many times. The tragic news came as a great shock, not only to me but to all of those who knew her here in India. I would like to remember her as a fine and humble human being, a dependable friend, and a very helpful person. She liked to do embroidery and tanning laces in her free time. She was warm and friendly but reserved socially. She was observant, and we shared many laughs at her impressions of friends and colleagues. May their souls rest in peace.

• 1:02:51Mike Boudet?

  Reginald, who was now 83 years old, received two consecutive life sentences. On top of that, the judge tacked on two 12-year sentences for tampering with deceased bodies and a 120-day sentence for false reporting, with credit for time served. In the end, no one remembered when they moved in. No one noticed the quiet lives of these women. And when they finally did, it was because the only person who ever saw them was the one who made them vanish.

• 1:03:46Mike Boudet?

  Well, we hope you enjoyed that horrible story, you weirdos. If you like this sort of thing, these tragic, terrible stories, head on over to our YouTube channel, Sword and Scale TV. There you can get our visual version of Sword and Scale.

• 1:04:04Mike Boudet?

  Go get it.

• 1:04:07Mike Boudet?

  You can also find us at swordandscale.com, where you can subscribe for $10 to plus, or $20 to plus, including Sword and Scale TV.

• 1:04:23Mike Boudet?

  I know it's a lot to ask, but this shit ain't cheap to make.

• 1:04:31Mike Boudet?

  So you can keep freeloading, or you can help out your favorite creator.

• 1:04:39Mike Boudet?

  It's up to you to decide, you know, what a good person would do, and what somebody like yourself would do.

• 1:04:47Mike Boudet?

  Don't let me guilt ya or anything.

• 1:04:53Mike Boudet?

  Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

• 1:05:01Mike Boudet?

  Alright, we'll see you next week. Stay safe. Say hi to your mom.

• 1:06:08Speaker 27

  She's been thinking about this sleepover all week, but I think about her food allergies all the time. Fortunately, her doctor prescribed Zolair, omalizumab. It's proven to significantly reduce allergic reactions if a food allergy accident happens.

• 1:06:21Speaker 28

  Zolair 150mg is a prescription medication used to treat food allergy in people one year of age and older to reduce allergic reactions due to accidental exposure to one or more foods. While taking Zolair, you should continue to avoid all foods to which you are allergic. Don't use if you are allergic to Zolair. Zolair may cause a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Tell your doctor if you ever had anaphylaxis. Get help right away if you have trouble breathing or if you have swelling of your throat or tongue. Zolair should not be used for the emergency treatment of allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Zolair is for maintenance use to reduce allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, while avoiding food allergens. Serious side effects such as cancer, fever, muscle aches and rash, parasitic infection, or heart and circulation problems have been reported. Please see zolair.com for full prescribing information. Ask an allergist about Zolair. This is an advertisement for Zolair

• 1:07:06Speaker 28

  paid for by Genentech and Novartis.

• 1:07:08Speaker 29

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