83-Year-Old Man Found Guilty of Killing Wife & Disabled Daughter with Ax, Before Dismembering Bodies

Reginald L. Maclaren, 83, was found guilty on Friday in the double-homicide of Bethany Maclaren, 70, and daughter Ruth Jennifer Maclaren, 35 -- as well as tampering with a deceased body and false reporting -- following their deaths last year.

According to a press release from 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Maclaren called Englewood Police Dispatch around 6pm on March 25, 2023 saying he believed his wife and daughter -- who authorities noted is disabled -- were murdered. When officers arrived, they allegedly saw "two large black trash cans in the living room"; inside each bin was the "severed body" of his wife and daughter.

In the man's apartment, officers found a "large axe," as well as a handsaw near the bins.

"About a week prior to the murders, Maclaren told officers he purchased the saw and trash cans from The Home Depot," said the DA's office. "During questioning, Maclaren said he had recently lost his job and did not want to be homeless."

Citing the police investigation, the DA said Maclaren "struck his wife and daughter multiple times in the head with an ax, and then he used a saw to dismember their bodies before placing them in trash containers."

According to the arrest affidavit in the case, via 9News, Maclaren told police he often dealt with people experiencing homelessness, knew "what a miserable life that was" and didn't want his family to go through that after he recently lost his job. He said he couldn't pay rent and began planning to kill his family.

He reportedly confessed to hitting both women in their heads with an ax while they sat on the couch, before striking them each two more times and putting their bodies in the trash cans -- which he was unable to lift and move out of his apartment.

Maclaren also allegedly told police he did "not regret" killing his wife and child because he "knows they are in a better place."

"Mr. Maclaren betrayed his family in a gruesome and senseless ambush that he planned for weeks," Chief Deputy DA Jake Adkins said in the release. "He violently murdered his wife and daughter and planned to dispose of their bodies like trash."

"It is difficult to imagine the fear and confusion that these two women endured in their final moments," added Senior Deputy DA Corrie Caler. "Ruth and Bethany Maclaren's lives were needlessly cut short, and we are thankful for the jury in returning a just verdict."

First-degree murder convictions carry mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole under Colorado law. Maclaren will be sentenced on July 10.