Man accused of killing ex also tried to have investigator killed, Illinois cops say
A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, a well-known woman in her Illinois community, now faces additional charges after trying to have two others killed, police say.
Robert J. Tarr, 49, already faced one count of murder and one count of attempted murder following the Thanksgiving 2021 shootings in Farmersville. But on Friday, Sept. 16, he was indicted on two counts of solicitation of murder for hire, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
Tarr allegedly hired a hitman to kill the surviving victim of the Thursday, Nov. 25, shooting. He also tried to have a deputy investigating the case killed, the sheriff’s office announced in a news release on Monday, Sept. 19.
He was initially arrested after Leslie J. Reeves, 45, was found shot and killed in the rural Farmersville home of Christopher J. Smith, who was critically injured.
Smith, one of the two people Tarr is accused of hiring a hitman against, told KSDK he went on his first date with Reeves the night before Thanksgiving.
“My neighbor found me on the floor 14 hours later with my dog cuddled up next to me, trying to keep me warm,” Smith told KSDK.
Tarr was quickly identified as a person of interest and was charged just days after the incident, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
According to testimony heard in court, Tarr left his home twice on the night of the shootings, according to the Digital Reporter. Reeves and Smith were found with gunshot wounds to the head the next day, police said.
Reeves previously dated Tarr and was the owner of All You Studio and Party Place in Troy, according to the Edwardsville Intelligencer.
“Leslie was known for her beautiful smile, living life to the fullest and helping others,” according to her obituary. “Her greatest joy was her children and her time with them was the happiest times of her life.”
Dawn Mushill, the executive director of the Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce, said Reeves was a domestic violence advocate who offered self-defense training in her studio.
“Many people were not aware of all that Leslie did, and, for a good reason. Confidentiality often meant life or death for her clients,” Mushill stated in November. “She would move her classes to different locations so that only those who were invited knew where the class was for that event.”
Tarr is in custody in the Montgomery County jail and his bond was set at $2 million, sheriff’s officials say.
Farmersville is about 25 miles south of Springfield, Illinois.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Man accused of killing ex also tried to have investigator killed, Illinois cops say."