Tony Reed pleads not guilty to killing missing Arlington couple

Tony Reed appears in a Snohomish County courtroom on May 24, 2016. (Q13 News photo)



EVERETT, Wash. -- One of two brothers charged in the presumed killing of a missing Arlington couple pleaded not guilty to the murders Tuesday afternoon in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Tony Clyde Reed surrendered to authorities last week to answer the allegations against him, not to confess, his lawyer James Kirkham says.

New information in the case is expected to be revealed in a 3 p.m. news conference held by the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.



He says his client is "here to defend himself" and is innocent of the charges.

“He wanted to come up and face the charges and thought it was the right thing to do,” said Kirkham.

Kirkham helped arrange an end to a month-long manhunt for Reed, who surrendered to U.S. Marshals at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“He’s been helping detectives, yes, but we still have not recovered their bodies so that’s something we hope will happen very soon,” said Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton. “The chances of being able to get to their exact location is much better than it was a week ago.”

Authorities are still searching for his brother, John Blaine Reed.

The brothers have been charged with first-degree murder in last month's disappearance of John Reed's former neighbors, Monique Patenaude and her husband, Patrick Shunn.

Authorities say Reed and the couple had been involved in a property dispute.

“Our number one priority from the beginning has been to try and find Patrick and Monique,” said Ireton. “A close second is to get John Reed in custody because we definitely believe he was involved in their deaths.”

A judge maintained bail and set the next hearing for June 17.

From left, John Reed and brother Tony Reed. Both are charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Arlington couple.