Colo. Man Killed Wife and Daughter with Ax, Then Called 911 and Told Police He Didn't Regret It

Reginald Maclaren was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder

Reginald Maclaren, Bethany MacLaren, Ruth MacLaren
Reginald, left, Bethany, center, and Ruth Maclaren. Photo:

Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, Marshall's Funeral Home(2)

A Colorado man who killed his wife and daughter with an ax after losing his job was convicted of murder.

Reginald Maclaren, now 83, called 911 in March 2023 to report that his wife Bethany Maclaren, 70, and daughter, Ruth Maclaren, 35, had been murdered, police in Englewood, Colo., said at the time. Maclaren told dispatchers that he knew the suspect, according to police.

The Associated Press reported, citing court documents, that after he was arrested, police said Maclaren confessed, allegedly saying that he had lost his job and feared homelessness.

The AP reported, citing an affidavit, that Maclaren said he didn’t regret killing them because he “knows they are in a better place.”

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On June 28, a jury in Arapahoe County convicted Maclaren on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of tampering with a deceased body and one count of false reporting, according to reports from 9News, KKTV and CBS Colorado.

Police previously said that Bethany and Ruth’s bodies were stuffed into individual trash cans and that one was dismembered with a saw.

KKTV reports that Maclaren will be sentenced on July 10. 

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