Callum Jones
A murderer sent a chilling text to his ex-girlfriend before shooting and killing her while she was on a date.
Leslie Reeves went on a date with Chris Smith just before Thanksgiving 2021. The night ended with a frozen pizza at Smith's house in Farmersville, Illinois.
However, everything took a terrible turn when Reeves' ex-boyfriend Robert Tarr arrived unannounced and smashed through the front door.
Once in the home, Tarr shot his former partner in the back of the head in what was described as an 'execution-style' murder.
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Reeves was killed, and Tarr turned the gun towards Smith.
He was later found by a neighbor, who discovered the Illinois man hanging on to life with his loyal dog by his side.
After being taken to hospital, Smith remarkably survived the terrible ordeal - though he was left with life-changing injuries.
Speaking to KSDK in February 2022, Smith said: "I went from being a single dad, small business owner living your everyday American dream. I did nothing wrong. I don't get it. All I was trying to do was trying to go out on a date."
A chilling text Tarr sent prior to murdering Reeves was revealed in court, a message that ultimately sent him down for murder.
The court heard how Tarr had become jealous after hearing from a pal Reeves was travelling an hour for Thanksgiving.
He was convinced his ex was meeting a man.
The text read: "I don't feel like she would drive that far for a party or go out with a girlfriend, I think it's for a dude."
Josh Easton of the Illinois State Police was brought in to deal with the case, dubbing it as one of the most horrific crime scenes he had ever attended to.
The officer had worked on 1,800 crime scenes prior.
"There was blood everywhere … The cabinets, the refrigerator, the countertop, there was blood from corner to corner in the kitchen," he said as per CBS News.
Once the case had made its way to court, a testimony shared by Tarr's own daughter provided much needed evidence to convict the killer.
She revealed Tarr left his house at 6pm on the night before Thanksgiving, and once more at 9:15pm.
His daughter recalled waking up at 2:45am to the noise of her father doing the laundry, while bullets that matched a firearm belonging to Tarr helped convict him.
He was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder in April 2024.
Tarr is now serving a sentence of 85 years behind bars.