Moorhead Man Charged In Killing Of Pregnant Woman, Man At Fargo Factory
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A 35-year-old man with a long criminal record was charged Thursday with three counts of murder in the shooting deaths at a Fargo factory of a man and a woman who was eight months pregnant.
Anthony Reese Jr., of Moorhead, Minnesota, is charged with killing 43-year-old Richard Pittman, 32-year-old April Carbone and her unborn child after an argument Wednesday at Composite America. He made his first court appearance Thursday, where a judge set his bond at $2 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 16.
If convicted of murder, Reese faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. His public defender at Thursday's hearing, Eric Thomas, told The Associated Press he couldn't comment on the case while it's ongoing.
Factory workers told police that Pittman and Carbone were dating and that she was expecting a baby girl who they planned to name Layla.
Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting an active shooter Wednesday afternoon and discovered the victims. Carbone died at the scene and Pittman was declared dead at a hospital.
Authorities said Pittman, Reese and another employee, Pourdeye Kegbeh, had been involved in an altercation on the factory floor prior to the shooting. Management ordered Reese to leave the business but he returned a short time later and confronted Pittman, Kegbeh said.
Kegbeh told police that Reese pulled out a handgun and shot Pittman numerous times before he turned and fired multiple shots at Carbone.
Police said Reese then drove to the Fargo Police Department and turned himself in. He told officers that he had ditched the gun in a residential neighborhood, and investigators later found the 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Detectives also recovered multiple 9mm cartridge casings at the crime scene.
The shooting wasn't Reese's first brush with the law. In 2014, he was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Benton County, Minnesota, and he has to register as a sex offender until 2029. He also has convictions for domestic assault, illegal gun possession, selling and possessing illegal drugs and violating no contact orders.
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