Medical Examiner Testifies In Murder Trial Of Accused Serial Killer William Reece

The jury heard from the last of William Reece's living victims on the third day of his murder trial Thursday. During opening statements, the state said nine women had violent encounters with Reece, and just five made it out alive.

Reece allegedly took the witness, Carla Brzozowski, Beam at the time, and her friend, Elizabeth Dolan in from a Houston area diner in early July of 1997. Dolan testified earlier this week. Both said Reece attacked and raped them. They were 16 and 17 years old at the time.

The bulk of Thursday’s testimony came from the medical examiner who performed Tiffany Johnston’s autopsy. 

The examiner noted injuries that spanned Johnston’s body. The doctor said the victim died from a combination of being strangled with a rope type object and a person's hands. Johnston had linear markings on the right side of her neck, with what the doctor said looked like knuckle or finger bruises. The pressure was so severe it fractured a bone on the left side of her neck.

Johnston had bruises on her front shoulders and one hip. The medical examiner said those could have come from someone pressing her into the ground while she was face down, or from laying on an uneven surface with pressure on her back.

Johnston also had a number of bruises on her head. One went so deep; the bruise was seen on the membrane that covered her skull.

Her wrists showed signs of being tied together. The only piece of clothing she had on was a disheveled bikini top. Scratches covered Johnston’s legs, and arms. Her body also had signs of animal activity.

The at the time owner of the Sunshine carwash testified as well. He called OSBI about five months after Johnston's death when he saw Reece on the news for kidnapping a Texas woman.

Friday, the state will call DNA experts to the stand. 

Investigators linked Reece to Johnston's murder in 2015 when swabs taken from her body partially matched the defendant's profile.