Husband Discovers New Fiancée Strangled And Beaten To Death By Jealous Ex-Wife
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the murder of a mother-of-three who was found dead outside her fiancé's Georgia home back in January.
Petra Reese, 55, was taken into custody on March 2 and charged with the murder of her ex-husband's new fiancée, Karen Lee LaForge, 53.
On February 28, the Roswell Police Department also arrested James Lloyd, 31, on a count of murder in connection to the January 17 killing.
A press release described Lloyd, of Milton, Georgia, as a "known associate" of Reese, though police have not given any additional details on the exact nature of their relationship.
At approximately 1:30 pm on January 17, 56-year-old Joseph Reese called 911 after he found his fiancée, Karen LaForge, unresponsive outside his home in Roswell.
LaForge was not breathing when the responding officers arrived at the address. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Officer determined the divorced mother-of-three died from strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. Her death has been ruled a homicide, reported AJC.com.
The press release from the Roswell Police Department stated,
At this time, we do not believe that there are any other persons involved in the death of Karen LaForge, however, we are continuing to close out any and all tips or leads we have or may continue to receive.
LaForge, who was originally from New Hampshire, is survived by her fiancé, Joseph, as well as her two sons and daughter from her previous marriage.
According to LaForge's obituary, she was passionate about photography, fashion, the outdoors and animals. As a devoted mother, she also loved cooking her children's favorite meals for them.
A reporter with 11Alive spoke to neighbors at the scene of the crime, who claimed they were not really surprised by the tragic news.
One neighbor said,
Pretty much the minute I found out she was the girlfriend, I figured it was probably the ex-wife here or perhaps an angry husband or boyfriend.
At this time, police believe Reese and Lloyd were the only ones responsible for the murder of LaForge. They do not anticipate any additional arrests.
Citations: Woman, 55, and her 'associate' are charged with strangling and beating to death her ex-husband's new fiancee (Daily Mail), Officials: Woman in Roswell yard died of strangulation, head trauma (AJC.com), Ex-wife arrested in death of husband's new fiancée (11Alive)
