Murder of Adrianne Reynolds
Encyclopedia
The murder of East Moline, Illinois
teenager Adrianne Leigh Reynolds made national headlines. She was strangled, beaten, burned, and dismembered by her classmates Sarah Anne Kolb and Cory Gregory on January 21, 2005.
. She moved to East Moline, Illinois
when she was 16 to live with her adoptive parents, Tony and Joann Reynolds., and began attending Black Hawk College
Outreach Center in November 2004 to earn her GED
so she could realize her dream of joining the Marines
. While there, she met fellow students Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory.
Sarah Kolb was reportedly a popular goth girl at the Outreach Center; she lived with her mother and stepfather in the nearby town of Milan, Illinois
. When Adrianne started in the school, she befriended Sarah's friend Cory Gregory and boyfriend Sean McKitrick. Sarah threatened to kill Adrianne on numerous occasions, but she was not taken seriously.
Cory Gregory originally attended Moline High School
but later transferred to the Outreach Center, where he met Sarah. He lived with his mother at the time of the incident. In January 2005, Adrianne reportedly asked Cory out, which angered Sarah.
; on the way there, Sarah and Adrianne reportedly began fighting, and Sean jumped out of the car. In the parking lot, Cory held down Adrianne while Sarah strangled her with a belt and beat her with a wooden handle.
After the murder, Sarah and Cory took Adrianne's body to Sarah's grandparents' farm in Aledo
, where they tried to burn it with gasoline
. When it failed to burn after several hours, they recruited a 16 year-old boy from Moline
named Nathan Gaudet to help dismember the body. Nathan used his grandfather's handsaw to remove Adrianne's head and arms, which were later disposed of in a garbage bag at the Black Hawk State Park
. Before disposing of Adrianne's remains, the three teenagers ate lunch at McDonald's
.
Adrianne's parents reported her missing after she failed to show up to work at Checkers
. Authorities discovered Adrianne's body a few days later on January 26, 2005.
on February 1, 2005; they both pled not guilty.
Sarah was the first to go to trial, which began on November 2, 2005 at the Rock Island County
Courthouse. After two weeks of trial and 15 hours of deliberation, the trial jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges. One juror opted for acquittal, while eleven were in favor of conviction.
At her retrial on February 6, 2006., she was convicted on all counts. At sentencing a few months later, she received a total of 53 years in prison for murder and concealment. She is serving her sentence at the Dwight Correctional Center
.
In the meantime, Cory Gregory pled guilty to all charges against him. On July 10, 2006, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. He is serving his sentence at the Menard Correctional Center
.
Nathan Gaudet had also been charged with concealment for helping to dismember Adrianne. He pled guilty and was given a juvenile sentence of five years. He was released from juvenile detention on November 11, 2008 after serving almost four years.
in October 2006, Deadly Women
in December 2010, and Snapped
in September 2011.
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,333 at the 2000 census. East Moline is one of the five Quad Cities,, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of 379,690...
teenager Adrianne Leigh Reynolds made national headlines. She was strangled, beaten, burned, and dismembered by her classmates Sarah Anne Kolb and Cory Gregory on January 21, 2005.
People Involved in Incident
Adrianne Reynolds was originally from Kilgore, TexasKilgore, Texas
Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...
. She moved to East Moline, Illinois
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,333 at the 2000 census. East Moline is one of the five Quad Cities,, along with the cities of Rock Island, Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of 379,690...
when she was 16 to live with her adoptive parents, Tony and Joann Reynolds., and began attending Black Hawk College
Black Hawk College
Black Hawk College is a community college with campuses located in the city of Moline and near Kewanee, Illinois.-History:Black Hawk College is a community college with campuses located in Moline and in Galva, Illinois...
Outreach Center in November 2004 to earn her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
so she could realize her dream of joining the Marines
Marines
Marines may refer to :* The plural of Marine , a member of a naval infantry force* Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team* "The Marines", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force'People...
. While there, she met fellow students Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory.
Sarah Kolb was reportedly a popular goth girl at the Outreach Center; she lived with her mother and stepfather in the nearby town of Milan, Illinois
Milan, Illinois
Milan is a village in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,257 at the 2000 census.The village is located near the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Before ceasing operations in 2003, Eagle Food Centers was based out of Milan....
. When Adrianne started in the school, she befriended Sarah's friend Cory Gregory and boyfriend Sean McKitrick. Sarah threatened to kill Adrianne on numerous occasions, but she was not taken seriously.
Cory Gregory originally attended Moline High School
Moline High School
Moline High School, or Moline, is a public four-year high school located in Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the United States...
but later transferred to the Outreach Center, where he met Sarah. He lived with his mother at the time of the incident. In January 2005, Adrianne reportedly asked Cory out, which angered Sarah.
Murder
On the afternoon of January 21, 2005, Sarah invited Adrianne to join her, Cory, and Sean for lunch at Taco BellTaco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
; on the way there, Sarah and Adrianne reportedly began fighting, and Sean jumped out of the car. In the parking lot, Cory held down Adrianne while Sarah strangled her with a belt and beat her with a wooden handle.
After the murder, Sarah and Cory took Adrianne's body to Sarah's grandparents' farm in Aledo
Aledo, Illinois
Aledo is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,613 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mercer County.-Geography:Aledo is located at ....
, where they tried to burn it with gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. When it failed to burn after several hours, they recruited a 16 year-old boy from Moline
Moline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
named Nathan Gaudet to help dismember the body. Nathan used his grandfather's handsaw to remove Adrianne's head and arms, which were later disposed of in a garbage bag at the Black Hawk State Park
Black Hawk State Park
Black Hawk State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, in the town of Lake View. The park includes land, campgrounds, trails, game preserves, historic structures, and the waters of Black Hawk Lake. Also it is home to the Lake View Water Carnival...
. Before disposing of Adrianne's remains, the three teenagers ate lunch at McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
.
Adrianne's parents reported her missing after she failed to show up to work at Checkers
Checkers (fast food)
Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. is the largest chain of double drive-thru restaurants in the United States. In June 2006, the Company went private through a merger with Taxi Holdings Corp., an affiliate of Wellspring Capital Management, a private equity firm.The company operates more than 815...
. Authorities discovered Adrianne's body a few days later on January 26, 2005.
Arrests and Trials
Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder and concealmentConcealment
Hiding is obscuring something from view or rendering it inconspicuous.Concealment is obscuring something from view or rendering it inconspicuous, the opposite of exposure...
on February 1, 2005; they both pled not guilty.
Sarah was the first to go to trial, which began on November 2, 2005 at the Rock Island County
Rock Island County, Illinois
Rock Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 147,546, which is a decrease of 1.2% from 149,374 in 2000. Its county seat is Rock Island...
Courthouse. After two weeks of trial and 15 hours of deliberation, the trial jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges. One juror opted for acquittal, while eleven were in favor of conviction.
At her retrial on February 6, 2006., she was convicted on all counts. At sentencing a few months later, she received a total of 53 years in prison for murder and concealment. She is serving her sentence at the Dwight Correctional Center
Dwight Correctional Center
Dwight Correctional Center is an Illinois Department of Corrections maximum security prison for adult females. It is located at 23813 E. 3200 North Road in Nevada Township, unincorporated Livingston County, Illinois, near Dwight...
.
In the meantime, Cory Gregory pled guilty to all charges against him. On July 10, 2006, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison. He is serving his sentence at the Menard Correctional Center
Menard Correctional Center
Menard Correctional Center, known prior to 1970 as Southern Illinois Penitentiary, is located in the town of Chester in Randolph County, Illinois. It is a state prison housing maximum-security and high medium-security adult males.The average daily population as of 2007 is 3,410. Menard Correctional...
.
Nathan Gaudet had also been charged with concealment for helping to dismember Adrianne. He pled guilty and was given a juvenile sentence of five years. He was released from juvenile detention on November 11, 2008 after serving almost four years.
In the Media
This case has been televised on Dateline NBCDateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
in October 2006, Deadly Women
Deadly Women
Deadly Women is a television series first aired in 2005 on the Discovery Channel, focusing on female killers. It was originally a mini-series consisting of three episodes: "Obsession," "Greed" and "Revenge". After a 2 year hiatus, the show resumed production in 2008 and began airing on the...
in December 2010, and Snapped
Snapped
Snapped is an American true crime television series that airs on the Oxygen Network. Snapped debuted on August 6, 2004 and is produced in conjunction with Jupiter Entertainment.-Synopsis:...
in September 2011.