Snapped: Women Who Murder - Linda Dancer

Episode Date: February 25, 2024

The case of a beloved Kenosha social worker's murder resurfaces nearly a decade after leads run dry when an odd call from another state reveals the gruesome truth about a vengeful pack of killers.Season 30 Episode 03Originally aired: October 31 2021Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WatchSnappedPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bosh Legacy returns now streaming. Man, he's been taken. Oh, God. Nothing can stop a father. You see that? From doing what the law can't. We have to do this about a week. You have to.

I don't. Bosh Legacy, watch the new season now streaming exclusively on Freevy. Each week on the Mr. Ball and Podcast, now available wherever you get your podcasts, you'll hear strange, dark, and mysterious stories about inexplicable encounters, shocking disappearances, true crime cases, and everything in between. So go listen to Mr. Ballin podcast, Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories on Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. The murder of a beloved social worker shatters a Midwestern town.

It was such a shocking, violent death. She was found face down, and her clothing was disheveled. Given the victim's line of work, there's no shortage of suspects. They immediately began to assume that it was someone who had a personal animus toward her. For over a decade, the brutal attack goes unsolved, until a guilty conscience finally cracks.

He said he was with them when they killed the social worker. He had kept this inside for 13 years, and I believe he wanted to tell somebody. There had been a violent attack and sexual assault. And she's telling him to give her what she deserves. She's a narcissistic, homicidal sociopath. For her to die the way she did made her stomachs turn. He said it was horrible.

A horrible, horrible death that he would have ever wanted to see. April 15th, 1990, 10.15 a.m. It's Easter Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and District Attorney Robert Jemboez is preparing to spend the holiday with family. My wife and I were getting ready to go visit my parents and then her parents. So just as we were getting ready to leave, I get this phone call of a suspicious death scene. My office didn't tell me who it was. We didn't have that many homicides in Kenosha County.

But I instituted a policy the preceding year that I was to be called to the scene of every suspicious death. With limited details, DA Jam Boyz heads to the scene, unsure of what awaits him. When I arrived there, they hadn't even cordoned off the residence. I asked the officers to establish a crime scene perimeter around the entire front yard and backyard of the residence

so that we couldn't have people coming and going as they chose. I wanted everybody out of the residence until our crime scene crew had gone through there. As he approaches the victim, D.A. Gembois stops in his tracks. I went inside to inspect the scene and there was Kanye Reyes on the floor. I knew Kanye Reyes.

I knew her because I was the district attorney in my office, prosecuted child abuse cases. She was a very, very, very fine social worker. I admired her and I very much liked her and I was genuinely shocked and horrified to see that she'd been murdered. The question now is, what could have led to this horrific scene? I don't know that they definitively ever decided she had a bite mark or not, but it looked like she had some marks on her body. It appeared to me as though there were strangulation marks

around her neck. As news of Connie's murder spreads, her community struggles to understand who could have done this to such a beloved woman. Connie Ríaz was a very well-respected social worker. She loved children. She was just a good person. She did not get what she deserved.

Born in 1932, Concepcion Connie Reyes was raised in the Philippines with her three siblings We lived in San Juan in the Philippines, which is around Manila. She was born there She grew up there. She went to school in the Philippines She came to the United States to go to teacher college and then stayed here and began her career Her career had always been devoted to children. She worked in the local schools here in Kenosha as a teacher. In the late 1960s, after teaching grade school in the U.S. for multiple years, Connie got her master's degree in social work and began working with the Department of Social Services in Kenosha.

She helped children in abusive homes. She would kind of monitor the situation to see if the children needed to be taken out of the homes. And I'm sure she saw a lot of not-so-pleasant things, but she was dedicated to her job. County was the kind of person that would do everything she could to try to reunify the family, but she also would do everything she could to pursue the termination of rights at the same time.

My office prosecuted child abuse cases, so I knew County Reyes and I admired her. She felt very strongly about the mission of children and family services. It was her life. She was so well respected as a social worker and an advocate for children. Connie was also deeply devoted to her family. And in 1978, she sponsored her brother, Paul, and his family for American citizenship.

We actually lived with her in her two bedroom apartment. We are a family of five, and we lived with her for a good month or two, you know, and she never complained. We didn't have furniture, you know, we had to leave a lot of our toys behind. Connie was a tremendous help in really helping us set up our household and getting us back on our feet in a new country. She was involved in our lives. We were involved in hers. Throughout the 1980s, as her nieces grew into young women,

Connie remained a strong presence in their lives. We spent all holidays with her. She was a great cook. She was really our only family in Wisconsin. She was aunt, she was grandmother, she was uncle, she was everything to us. With a career she loved and her family behind her every step of the way, Connie was living the life she'd always imagined. She was certainly highly regarded by the judges and by the prosecutors and by the defense bar.

In Kenosha County, she was a really wonderful, warm human being. I really enjoyed working with her, and I found her to be inspiring. MUSIC As Kenosha investigators stand over Connie's lifeless body, they can't fathom who could have viciously murdered this pillar of the community. I remember because it was Easter Sunday, that's when I heard the news.

I had expected to see her that night. Connie Reyes was very deeply loved by those people who knew her, especially by her family members and her friends. Outside the residence, detectives arrive and turn to the person who called 911 Connie's friend and co-worker, Joanne Slater. Joanne Slater and her husband were very close to Connie and they hadn't talked to her in a day or two.

So they went to the house, and that's when they discovered her body in the house. Joanne had indicated that Connie Reyes was diabetic and that she was aware that she had gone home early from work on Thursday, April 12th. She had fallen ill, maybe due to the diabetes or something else. Joanne tells investigators she had a spare key to Connie's house and went to check on her. The paper boys, I understand it, left some papers between the screen door and the front door.

Joanne went to the front door and all the newspapers had fallen out. So it's obvious nobody opened that door. She unlocked the front door, and she went in and found Connie Reyes' body. Connie Reyes was found face down, and her clothing was disheveled. Her friend who found her called 911 and reported her death. Though Joanne is unable to provide any further details,

investigators suspect she was the last person to see Connie alive on Thursday, April 12. At that time, Kenosha News was delivered in the afternoon. So they were able to pinpoint that from the time she left work, which was around 11 o'clock or so, to 4.30 in the afternoon would have been the time frame that she was murdered. After speaking to Joanne, investigators begin documenting the crime scene, starting with Connie's body. It was readily apparent that Connie Reyes had been murdered and

looked like she'd been strangled. The way her clothing was, it just looked to me like she'd been sexually assaulted. She was wearing a little blouse and a sweater up. You got the sweater over her head, the blouse up, the bra up. Detectives found a pubic hair and a partial fingerprint on her glasses. The presence of the pubic hair was consistent with their belief

that it had been a male assailant. Detectives fan out across the home in search of more evidence. The police conducted the examination of the home and determined that there was no evidence, that there were things taken of the home and determined that there was no evidence that there were things taken from the home. Her purse and wallet were still there and undisturbed.

There was no sign of any forced entry. So that tells you right away it had to be someone that she knew and she let into the house. The assumption was that it was not a property crime. It was something that was motivated by personal animus toward Connie Reyes. For her to die the way she did and go through what she went through was shocking and made her stomachs turn.

Coming up, investigators uncover a string of possible suspects. Connie was assigned the toughest cases. They were Satan worshipers. They were all confessing to killing Connie. possible suspects. Connie was assigned the toughest cases. They were Satan worshipers. They were all confessing to killing Connie. MUSIC Investigators in Kenosha, Wisconsin are desperate for a lead in the 24 hours following

the discovery of social worker Connie Reyes murdered in her own home on Easter weekend, 1990. It pretty much sent shockwaves through our department because she was a very well-liked, very well-respected woman. Adding to the shock of Connie's death is the brutal way she met her end. There had been a violent attack and sexual assault.

Unfortunately, there isn't much at the scene for detectives to work with. The physical evidence showed that she was murdered, but we didn't have DNA testing available. A lot of times in a case like this, the focus would be on some disgruntled former partner or someone of that nature, and there wasn't anybody like that to focus on.

She was never married, and as far as any romantic relationships, I was not aware of any. Knowing Connie was dedicated to her job, investigators begin their search for potential enemies by looking at her most difficult clients. Connie was assigned the toughest cases. She was very deeply committed to the protection, safety,

and welfare of children. She would occasionally have to remove the kids from a home for their benefit as well as trying to get the parents back in line. It was kind of a last ditch. This is what I got to do. So they immediately began to focus on the possibility that it was one of her former clients and particularly

a male, given the nature of the sexual assault. There is so many different possible directions based on Connie's caseload, you know, people that she's had to deal with. And this could go over a period of years, not just who she was working with currently. There are suspect lists dwindled to about four or five people that she had had some tension with families that

worked as far as removing kids from the home. That, of course, would be one of the top priorities to bring these people in and talk to them and find out where they were, what they did, that particular day or time frame, and if they had any alibi and then follow up on the alibi. Some people interviewed, were able to provide viable alibis. Eventually, they were dismissed as potential suspects.

There was no new viable information. As much as investigators dig, they're never able to gain traction. After about 48 hours, you're starting to work a cold case. Detectives had interviewed just about everyone that they needed to, and their alibis either checked out or they had a reason why they were there. And after about two years, it just dried up. And with no new leads coming in,

it goes to the back burner. As days turn to months turn to years with no leads, Connie's loved ones struggle to cope with the lack of closure. Not knowing what happened to her was extremely frustrating. This didn't happen in a vacuum. Obviously there were people that went in there and did this to her. Why is it difficult for anybody to figure this out? What are the police doing? What leads do they have?

What are they following? What are they doing? You know, didn't get a lot of answers. The previous detective bureau captain kept this case closed but open, and that if a new lead came in, and some of the detectives that worked on the case originally retired, and they were a little upset that they were never able to solve that crime.

In June 1995, five years after the murder, the Connie Reyes case lands on the desk of newly minted detective, Christine Funk. I was just promoted to detective, and my supervisor at the time said, we'll just work on it when you have time or see what you can do with it, look into some of the old suspects and so forth.

So I did that in my spare time. And I did try to develop a couple different suspects. She had this group of kids, she was trying to help that were Satan worshipers. So I investigated that with another detective. We worked that together and tried to see if we could get anything out of these kids. When Detective Fonk speaks to friends of the teens,

she learns an alarming accusation. They were all confessing to killing her. Investigators immediately bring all four teens in while confessing to killing her. MUSIC Investigators immediately bring all four teens in for questioning, but it's clear they have a ringleader. Eric Sanchez was the main one. After speaking to him and speaking to a lot of people who were his friends, he was also confessing to them that he had killed her,

but he didn't have any of the pertinent information. He didn't do it. As another lead dries up, when interviewing neighbors of Connie Reyes, detectives get a promising new suspect. Sergeant Rodey lived across the street from the Reyes residence. And when he was interviewed by Lieutenant Funk, Sergeant Rodi lived across the street from the Reyes residence. And when he was interviewed by Lieutenant Funk,

he remembered that there was this person in the area that was acting inappropriately. Sergeant Rodi said that there was a neighborhood young man who was acting out aggressively against a lot of the women in the neighborhood at the time, just prior to her murder, like chasing them from their cars with their groceries till their back doors.

The 38-year-old described by the sergeant is Terry Thompson, who lived just around the corner from Connie's house. So I talked to all the women in the neighborhood. There were several that did state that. They were afraid of him. He'd be running around the neighborhood all the time at odd hours. On Wednesday, November 8, 1995, detectives confront Terry.

We asked him, could you please come down to the police station? And we'd just like to talk to you about the Conny Reyes homicide. And he said, oh, of course I would. So he came with us and we had an interview room. He talked to us for hours, actually. As detectives turn up the heat on Terry, he makes a shocking confession. He came right up to the point where he said, yes.

I went into Connie's house on such and such a day. It was near Easter time. He couldn't remember the day. But he said he pounded on the door, and he got her to open the door. but he said he pounded on the door, and he got her to open the door, and he said he did step into the house. And that's as far as he would go. Coming up, just as they are about to break the case, detectives are stone-lawed.

I actually received a letter saying I can never talk to him again. And a seemingly random crime uncovers a long-buried secret. I called the Kenosha Police Department, and I had asked if they had ever solved Connie Reyes' case. They said, no, we have not. Nice as well, I might be able to help you. MUSIC The wait is over. So far, you're not losing.

The only thing you're losing is my patience. Quickly, I see that. Ding! The queen of the courtroom is back. I didn't do anything. You wouldn't know the truth if it came up and slapped you in the face. The queen of the courtroom is back. I didn't do anything. You wouldn't know the truth if it came up and slapped you in the face.

I see he's not intimidated by anything. I can fix that. New cases. She wanted to fight me. Leap her. A loan. OK, so, um. Not this is not a so.

This is a period. Classic Judy. Did you sleep with her? Yes, Your Honor. You is a period. Classic Judy. Did you sleep with her? Yes, Your Honor. You married his cousin. His brother. That's not him. Yes, ma'am.

I would make a beeline for the door. The Emmy Award-winning series returns. How did I know that? I have crystal ball in my head. It's an all-new season. It's streaming. You can say anything. Judy Justice. Only on Free V. Five and a half years after Connie Reyes was strangled to death, one of her neighbors, Terry Thompson,

has admitted to forcing his way into her house around the time of the murder. What he said was I was angry with her because she refused to help me learn to read. He knew she was a social worker and he was trying to get her to help him to read. But this is as far as we got because his family had an attorney show up

at the police department for him. So we had to stop. And then I actually received a letter saying I can never talk to him again. He did have some emotional and mental issues. Yet we couldn't tie him to the crime. We had no probable cause to charge him. Investigators' hands are tied.

We couldn't have access to him. At the end of our dealings with Terry Thompson, we could not rule him out as a suspect because of his admission of going into the house and his behavior. At yet another dead end, Detective Funk decides to keep tabs on Terry while revisiting the evidence from the crime scene. I did run everything that was available to me

through DNA again when I got the case, but it was degraded over time because the way they stored it back then was not proper and things got moldy, and it useless. The hair guy at the FBI did whatever he could with that, and because it was a fragment, we couldn't match it to anybody. So there was actually no DNA evidence that we could use. As years tick by, Connie's family remains haunted by her death.

I remember for several years after my aunt's murder, I would have dreams where I would be in a room with her. And she would say, I have something very important to tell you, and then I would wake up and I would never know what she was trying to tell me. I believed she wasn't at peace until this question could be answered about what really happened to her and who did this to her. Finally, 13 years after the murder, on February 25, 2003,

a call comes in from a woman named Linda Goulon that shakes the dust off this cold case once and for all. I called the Kenosha police department and I had asked if they had ever solved Connie Reyes's case. They said, no, we have not. And I said, well, I might be able to help you. Linda is a former Kenosha resident who recently moved to Mississippi with her husband Chester. In February of 2003, they were staying with their good friend,

Sanda Bobo. She had taken them in because they were out of a job, they had no money. According to Linda, things got rocky when Chester stole Sandra's silverware to try to make some quick cash. She threatened to go to the police. Then he finally came to and told her that he pawned it. Sandra gave him an opportunity to go get it back, but he didn't do it. So Sandra Bobo called the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, and they actually brought Chester in,

and we're going to charge him with theft. Chester was afraid of being arrested in Mississippi for the theft, and somehow in the conversation, he admitted that he had been involved in his homicide. He started stating things like the police in Kenosha are after me. They want to know about that homicide or that murder of the social worker.

I can't go back there. They can't know about me. After hanging up with Alinda, Detective Funk springs into action. I then went to Captain McNamara and I said, we got to go to Mississippi. On March 9th, 2003, Detective Funk arrives in Aberdeen, Mississippi and decides to speak with Sandra Bobo first.

So we got to ask them questions about where we were born. Then he was talking about he was scared to death of the police. So we got to ask them questions about where we were pawning. Then he was talking about he was scared to death of the police. What was he saying about Kenosha? He felt he was in trouble. He said that he was also running from the police in Kenosha. And I said, what did Kenosha got to do? What you're doing down here?

Sandra says it was then that Chester brought up two of their mutual acquaintances from back in Wisconsin. Gaylord Gomez and Linda Dancer. We kept saying, why is Gaylord Linda involved in this? They weren't here when we stole the server. What are they holding against you? He said, I know for a fact that Gaylord had killed two people. I said, how do you know that? Why are you sitting there saying no, Ace, because he was with them when they killed the social worker? And I just froze.

He said, it was horrible, a horrible, horrible death that anybody would ever want to see. Has he told you that he's scared of Paul? Gaylord scared of Linda? He said he was scared death of Gailord and Linda. That if he taught, they would be after him. Sandra was friends with Chester, but she knew Gailord Gomez and she knew Linda Dancer from the past.

But she stayed away from them. She says, I really didn't like them. According to Sandra, Linda and Gaylord may have had a motive for wanting to harm Connie. Did you have much contact with Gaylord and Linda while you were living in Kenosha? I did there for a while until I found out why their kids had been taken away from us.

Sandra says Linda had lost custody of her daughters until I found out why their kids had been taken away from them. Sandra says Linda had lost custody of her daughters for putting them in dangerous situations with adult men. Did they ever say anything to you about who took care of who their social worker was or... They just said that they were going to get eaten by them. And I didn't think too much about it, not at that time. After wrapping up her interview with Sandra Bobo, Detective Fonk brings Chester's wife Linda Goulon

in for questioning. Any information that I got, I put together on my own through all this time. I just told him that weird things was happening, and I told him that since we've been down here, my husband had been acting real funny. According to Linda, while she and Chester lived in Kenosha for the decade after Connie Reyes' murder,

he was always a little on edge. But once they moved to Mississippi in 2003, he seemed even more paranoid. You know how you are when you have to watch over your back because you're afraid if you mess up, they're going to get you? Well, that's how he used to be once we got moved to Mississippi. Linda Goulon told me things that only someone at the homicide would have known.

For instance, that she was sexually assaulted. We never put that in the paper. A couple other details about what clothing she had on. He was saying things like that. And he could have only known that if he was in there. Detective Funk immediately tracks down Chester Goulon a few towns away in Tupelo, Mississippi to hear his side of the story.

I'd ask him to come with me to talk to me. And he said, sure. I talked to Chester for probably four hours. Just asking him, what's going on here? Tell me what you told your wife, and tell me what you told Sandra. And he wasn't giving up a lot. He was just saying, oh, I just heard this,

or I heard that, and he was very nervous, very uptight. Finally, after hours of intense questioning, Chester begins to crack. We talked and talked, and I got him to tell me what happened that night and how it happened. He had kept this inside for 13 years, and I believe he wanted to tell somebody. Coming up, investigators finally

hear the horrifying details of Connie Reyes' last moments. When she opened the door, he put his foot in the door and then forced his way in. Connie hits her head on the counter, falls to the floor, and then she's telling him to get her. Get her, give her what she deserves. give her what she deserves. 13 years after the unsolved murder of Connie Reyes, Chester Goulon's guilt has finally consumed him,

and he's ready to tell his story. Chester tells Detective Funk that Connie Reyes was the social worker on his friend Linda Dancer's child custody case. Linda Dancer had three daughters, three little girls, who were removed from her custody by Connie Reyes, but she was allowed supervised visitation. There were some issues between Gaylord and Linda in the home, and Connie apparently felt it was imperative to remove the children until they resolved some of their issues.

Linda was very upset and had been very upset with Connie Reyes for a number of months because of her children being taken away. According to Chester, Gaylord and Linda were scheduled to have a visitation on Thursday, April 12, 1990, until Connie became ill. So later on in the evening now, they hook up with Chester Gulan.

They pick him up at work. Linda is so angry about this no visitation that she's telling them that we're gonna go get Connie. She's gonna get what she deserves for not letting her see her children. The decision was made that they were gonna go over there and they needed Chester Gulan to knock at the door because Connie Reza opened the door for Connie Rizzo opened the door

for either Gaylord Gomez or Linda Dancer. These three losers sitting in a restaurant drinking coffee and planning a homicide. Chester says he reluctantly agreed and rode with Linda and Gaylord to Connie's home that evening. When she opened the door, Gaylord Goma has put his foot in the door and then forced his way in. Linda shoves Connie to where Connie hits her head

on the counter, falls to the floor, and then she's telling Gaylord to get her, to get her, give her what she deserves. According to Chester, Gaylord did as he was told. Gaylord is now on top of her, and Linda's down on the floor. Gaylord punches her in the face. We always thought Connie was bitten, that someone bit her left thigh. Well, that turned out to be boot kicks

from either Linda Dancer or Gaylord Gomez. Chester claims the scene was so brutal, he eventually went back to the car and waited for Linda and Gaylord. So Chester Golan inculpated himself in the homicide, but he denied that he actually murdered Connie, and he also denied that he sexually assaulted her. He was going to be under arrest, and I informed him,

you know, Chester, you were there, you're part of this. There was plenty of evidence to charge first-degree homicide. MUSIC Kenosha police are now eager to question Linda Dancer charge first-degree homicide. Kenosha police are now eager to question Linda Dancer and Gaylord Gomez. But first, they pull Linda's file from the Department of Social Services and discover a deeper connection between Linda and Connie. Linda had a very difficult life.

She had been the product of the foster care system herself. It said she had to go to three different foster homes. And at that time, her social worker was actually Connie Reyes. She already disliked Ms. Reyes. When she was removed from her mother's home, it was by Ms. Reyes. So there was an animosity there. moved from her mother's home, it was by Ms. Reyes. So there was an animosity there.

By the time she was 25 years old, Linda had three kids with multiple partners who did not stick around. Then in 1985, she met and married Gaylord Gomez. It was an unstable dysfunctional relationship that existed between Linda Dancer and Gaylord Gomez. Gaylord and Linda were married at the time of the homicide.

Linda is a very persuasive individual. When it came to Gaylord, she could get him to do anything and everything that she wanted or she would really be a nasty person to him and make his life miserable. I had met them in 1985. Gaylord was always scary, juster. He was the shy person. He was the one that always take along, you know. We did everything together.

All three of these individuals, in my personal opinion, they're all very street smart people. Linda had a history of stealing and being kind of a troublemaker. With Chester in police custody in Mississippi, Detective Funk tells her colleagues in Kenosha to track down Linda and Gaylord immediately. Linda Dancer colleagues in Kenosha to track down Linda and Gaylord immediately. Linda Dancer was in Kenosha, as was Gaylord Gomez. They were divorced at this point in 2003.

Now, it was assigned to go look for Gaylord. I had an address where we last knew Gaylord to live and sure enough, Gaylord was there. So I asked him if he would come to the police department. He came voluntarily. In the course of the interview, Gaylord denied anything about being involved. Detective Strasch pinpointed that,

I know you're not telling me the truth. I know this, this, and this. And this is what Chester told us. Like Chester, Gaylord eventually breaks down. He got to the point where he admitted it, let it out, and became very detailed in graphic in what happened. But according to Gaylord, things

didn't happen exactly how Chester had previously told detectives. Gaylord Gomez said that it was Chester Goulin who strangled Connie Reyes. Gaylord admits to sexually assaulting Connie, but claims he wasn't the only one. Chester, he says, well, I'm going to get in on this, and he does the same thing.

With both men pointing the finger at each other, investigators turn to Linda Dancer, hoping to finally learn the truth. When she did her interview, she sat down on the floor. She said that Gaylord Gomez is the one that strangled Connie Reyes and that she, Linda Dancer, had stepped between Gaylord and Connie to try to protect Connie. Linda Dancer, of course, doesn't accept any responsibility.

That was not consistent with Chester Gullin's testimony, and Gaylord Gullin's testimony was that Linda Dancer was the motivating force behind this home invasion, homicide, and sexual assault. Detectives have heard enough, and on March 11th, 2003, authorities charged Chester, Linda, and Gaylord with first degree murder.

It's not long before the news reaches Connie's family. I found out while I was at work, so I quick rushed home. I was just shocked. I couldn't believe it after so long, you know? But I commend this lady that called the police and turned her husband in. It was wonderful to hear that finally we have answers to this or we can now maybe get

some answers to this. Perhaps there can be some justice. Coming up, Connie's killers finally have their day in court. You could see the jurors at the time were just shocked at some of the information that they were receiving. And more horrific details of Connie's final moments come to light.

It just tore me apart that they did stuff like that to her. After they killed her and moved her body, they sang plop plop fizz fizz, oh, what a relief it is. After 13 years, Kenosha police have finally arrested Linda Dancer, Linda's ex-husband, Gaylord Gomez, and their friend Chester Goulon for the brutal murder of Connie Reyes. The case is based upon what we call interlocking confessions, but we didn't have DNA testing, we didn't have physical evidence that linked any one of these three people to this crime.

physical evidence that linked any one of these three people to this crime. There was one piece of evidence that was left, and it was a fragment of a pubic hair. And because it was a fragment, we couldn't match it to anybody. So there was actually no DNA evidence that we could use. With no concrete evidence to go on, prosecutors must rely on the statements of each of the defendants to close the case.

Each of them point to the finger to everybody else and you simply can't try all three of them together. What you do in a case like that is you prosecute the case first that has the best confession. That was Chester Gullin. I did talk to Chester one more time with a final attempt to try to get him to put himself in there. And I was able to do that.

He did later on that afternoon. He said yes. I was in there. I saw everything that happened. He said, yes. I was in there. I saw everything that happened. I said, Chester, they're telling me you had sex with Connie too after she was already dead.

He would never admit to that. So Chester Gulen's second statement inculpated himself in the homicide. But he denied that he actually murdered Connie, and he also denied that he sexually assaulted her. Though he denies his involvement, Chester does give detectives one final chilling detail about the murder.

He said they all sang a song after it. After they killed her and moved her body, they sang plop plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is. And they were singing that song as they left the house. It's just so dreadful that these people are responsible for the loss of a noble person like Kanye Reyes. I was like, oh my God, I couldn't believe that Linda and Gaylord and Chester had anything to do with this. And, I mean, I felt it right down in my heart for Ms. Reyes. It just tore me apart that they did stuff like that to her.

As prosecutors head to trial, Gaylord has a change of heart. The idea was to try Chester Goulon first, Gaylord Gomez second, and Linda Dancer third. Gaylord Gomez threw that off a little bit because he decided to plead guilty, which is very unusual for some to plead guilty to a murder case. But that was what happened.

Gaylord saw the light, and he pled guilty to avoid going to court. It was very difficult for him to testify. So then we tried Chester Goulin, and I called Gaylord Gomez as a witness. We testified and he implicated Chester Goulin, and Chester Goulin was convicted. And then we did a lead a dancer the very next week. Prosecutors assert that Linda was the true mastermind

behind this brutal crime. It was just her personality that she got what she wanted, or she became aggressive. And I think that's why she snapped that day. She didn't get her girls for Easter, and that's what did it. It's not so much that she did this out of love for her children.

She did this out of resentment for the fact that somebody else would presume to tell her how she's going to live her life or take something away from her that belonged to her. She wanted to get even with Ms. Reyes for taking her children away and then canceling that last-minute visitation. Another important piece of the puzzle was Connie.

Was the casework of their pulled Linda and her siblings out of the home and placed into a foster home. Linda hated Connie so much that she wanted her dead. Between the three partial confessions, Linda's defense seems bleak. You could see the jurors at the time were just shocked at some of the information that they were receiving.

You can imagine 12 people forced to listen to what was really ugly information. So it was an uphill battle to defend Linda Dancer. I fought as hard as I could given the circumstances. Like Gaylord and Chester, Linda is found guilty of first degree murder. I did not go every day to the trials, but I did go to the sentencing's, all three.

They let us say some things. They let us make some comments before sentencing, so I did do that. That was tough. I read some Bible verses, and then I remember for Gaylord Gomez, when he left the room, he yelled, F you. They all got mandatory life imprisonment. When you get involved in a case, you live it every day until you get to the end. And I was just so relieved to see them all found guilty

and all sent to prison for the rest of their life. I felt relieved and hopeful that my aunt was finally at peace. In 2007, four years after his sentencing, that my aunt was finally at peace. weren't convicted more quickly after her homicide. I regret that they had one day of freedom after they committed this terrible crime. It was a violent, horrible crime, and she didn't deserve any of it. She was doing her job. She was watching out for these children.

What they did to her was inexcusable, and she didn't deserve any of it. I will say it's still hard to talk about, even after all these years. It really is. You know, and she took a part of our, they took a part of our family away, and you just never really get over it.

In 2015, Kenosha County Social Services launched the annual Connie Reyes Award for Excellence in Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention. Gaylord Gomez is serving a life sentence at the Columbia Correctional Institution. You will be eligible for parole in 2034. If you're listening to this podcast, then chances are good, you are a fan of The Strange, Dark, and Mysterious. And if that's true, then you're in luck.

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