The man suspected of killing a visiting nurse in Willimantic in October has been charged with murder, felony murder and attempt to commit sexual assault, according to court documents, and his bond has been set at $2 million.
Michael Reese, a convicted sex offender, is suspected of killing Joyce Grayson, according to an arrest warrant.
Grayson, a visiting nurse, had an appointment with Reese at his residence, a halfway house for sex offenders in Willimantic, on the morning of Oct. 28, 2023.
Around 2 p.m. that day, Willimantic police received a call asking them to check on Grayson after she missed several patient appointments. The caller said Reese was Grayson’s first appointment of the day and there had been no contact with her since around 7:30 a.m.
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Police eventually found Grayson's body in the padlocked basement of the Chapman Street home and they found her cell phone in a bucket of liquid in the bathtub, according to the arrest warrant.
According to the arrest warrant for Reese, Grayson died of compression of the neck and her death was ruled a homicide.
The warrant says she was bound with neckties and an electrical cord and there were signs of blunt-force trauma as well.
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Willimantic Police Chief Paul Hussey called this "one of the worst cases I have seen in 27 years in law enforcement."
Reese was seen leaving the residence, police said, and they arrested him on separate charges. He was initially charged with sixth-degree larceny and use of drug paraphernallia.
The arrest warrant says he had Grayson’s debit and credit cards, which he is suspected of using at banks and stores, and well as the key fob for her car.
The warrant also includes information from a correction officer who provided information he heard while monitoring telephone conversations from prison, in which Reese said that it was a “robbery gone wrong.”