Lance Reid’s family vows to keep fighting for justice.
SAN ANTONIO — For almost one long year, Kellee Reid said she and her family have kept quiet about the death of her husband. Lance.
But she said the time for silence is over.
Lance Reid was 49 years old when he was found shot to death on a rural stretch of Highway 290 east of Fredericksburg in March 2024. Investigators said he had been shot multiple times.
At the time of the shooting, radio transmissions from Gillespie County first responders revealed the woman who shot Reid made a frantic call to 911 asking for help, saying she shot Reid because he had drugged and kidnapped her.
“I don’t want to say anything that could interfere with the investigation or the trial in any way, but the fact that this woman has been out living her life for almost a year with no regard for Lance’s situation, you know, he’s gone,” Kellee said. “It’s unreal and it is not right. We are angry. And we are not going to keep quiet anymore. We were trying to trust the process, and I’ve lost my faith in the process.”
At the time, Gillespie County Sheriff Buddy Mills said there were many unanswered questions about the incident. His plan was to give investigators all the time they needed to look into the unusual attack.
Speaking on behalf of her husband of 24 years, Kellee said his entire family stands united in their belief that the questions have left a cloud of suspicion over a man who didn’t deserve it.
“I’ve spoken with my in-laws, his siblings, and we’re all on board to just make as much noise as possible because his life mattered,” Kellee said.
Of the one-sided story that has been presented so far, Kellee said: “She shot and killed someone and then spun a tail that he drugged and kidnapped her, which is completely untrue. That is not who my husband was, and I am very upset that he’s labeled as that in the press. That’s not his legacy, that’s not what we want for him.”
Investigators have made progress.
On Oct. 7, 2024, a Gillespie County grand jury returned an indictment against Amy Maynor Lejeune, charging her with murder.
Details about the evidence against Lejeune have not been revealed, but her bond was set at $100,000, which she posted almost immediately.
“She’s only been in jail two days. She has a murder indictment against her and I just feel like there’s no justice for my husband right now, and there needs to be justice for him. So that’s what we’re fighting for as a family,” Kellee said.
Online court records indicate Lejeune’s defense attorney has filed a motion with the court indicating his intention to use an insanity defense in the case.
“It is very unsettling that this person could get off with, you know, potentially a mental hospital compared to a prison cell, but she was in no danger from Lance and she shot him, so it’s not right. It’s not right,” Kellee said emphatically.
‘A son, a brother, an uncle’
Kellee said her husband was a well-loved and respected engineer who was doing work for NASA and had a high level security clearance.
She said he had lived an exemplary life and had not been involved in questionable behavior.
“Everybody loved him. We were married for a very long time, almost 24 years before he passed, and we have two children,” Kellee said. “He is a son, a brother, an uncle, and he has a big family and a lot of people that love and care about him, and I am very sad and disheartened.”
Speaking of the pain faced by their two young adult children, Kellee said, “I’m trying to pick up the pieces for my family, and this woman has been out living her life and getting all the holidays with her kids and going on vacation.”
“They’re seeing that his killer is able to go on vacation with her children. My kids don’t ever get that again so it’s been a lot to process, and it’s, and we’re coming up on a year of this and no punishment. It seems like they’re looking out for her best interests rather than Lance, who was killed,” Kellee said.
Kellee calls the bond conditions inadequate.
“There’s no ankle monitor, there’s just regular bond stipulations,” Kellee said, adding there have been modifications. “It was a bond modification which gave her permission to leave the state to go on vacation, and I’m told she is actually asking for permission to go on an international cruise, and it was being considered by the court. I am livid!”
Of her commitment to keep pushing for justice, Kellee said “I’m going full mama bear! This is not right, and I’m not going to sit by idly and let it happen. I’m gonna fight!”
Current Gillespie County Sheriff Christopher Ayala, who was not in office when the shooting took place, said he is committed to seeing the case continues to move forward. Preferring not to discuss specifics of the process, he said he is proud of the job investigators have done so far and will make sure they have the resources they need.
Online records reflect the murder case takes a small step forward next month. Lejeune is scheduled for a status hearing in Fredericksburg District Court on March 6.