In the aftermath of a November 2021 workplace shooting at a Fargo factory that claimed two lives and that of an unborn child already named Layla, the accused — Anthony Reese Jr. — has chosen to let a jury decide his fate rather than accept the weight of a guilty plea. The reversal, quiet in its announcement but heavy in its implications, sets the stage for a trial that will revisit a day of violence born from a workplace dispute and ended with three deaths. It is a reminder that even in cases where the facts appear settled, the human need to be heard — or to resist — can redirect the course of
Man charged in ND factory shooting reverses course, will stand trial
Two factory workers and an unborn child were killed in the shooting; the pregnant victim was eight months along and the couple had planned to name the child Layla.
He returned and confronted Pittman. Then he pulled out a handgun.
Mark
Why would someone who turned himself in and told police where the gun was suddenly decide not to plead guilty?
Mimi
That's the question everyone's asking. We don't know Reese's reasoning because his attorney won't say. It could be anything—a disagreement about sentencing, a belief that the evidence has gaps, a strategy we can't see from the outside.
Luke
Right, and we should be careful here. The fact that he turned himself in and cooperated doesn't tell us what his legal position actually is. Cooperation and guilt are not the same thing in court.
Mark
But the witness—Kegbeh—he saw the shooting happen?
Mimi
He was there during the altercation and the shooting, yes. He told police what he saw: Reese pulling the gun, firing at Pittman, then at Carbone.
Luke
One witness. That matters. It's not nothing, but it's also not a closed case. A trial will test whether that account holds up under cross-examination.
Mark
And the gun itself—they found it where he said it was?
Mimi
Yes. He told them he ditched it in a residential neighborhood, and they recovered it. They also found shell casings at the scene that matched.
Luke
Physical evidence is strong. But again, possession of a gun and being at a scene doesn't prove who pulled the trigger in court. That's what the trial will sort out.
Mark
So we really don't know what happens next?
Mimi
No. The trial will determine whether he's convicted on all three counts, or some, or none. His attorney isn't saying what the defense will be.
Luke
And that's appropriate. We shouldn't know. The reader should understand that this case is now genuinely unresolved, despite how much evidence exists.
Der Puls
- A factory floor argument escalated into a mass shooting that killed two coworkers and an unborn daughter who had already been given a name.
- Reese turned himself in the same day, told police where he dumped the weapon, and the physical evidence left little apparent ambiguity about what had happened.
- For months the case moved quietly toward a guilty plea, making the sudden reversal at the change-of-plea hearing all the more jarring.
- His defense attorney refused to explain the strategic shift, citing the risk of compromising whatever argument the defense intends to make at trial.
- Three murder charges — including one for the unborn child — now await resolution in a courtroom, with no timeline yet set for proceedings.
In the aftermath of a November 2021 workplace shooting at a Fargo factory that claimed two lives and that of an unborn child already named Layla, the accused — Anthony Reese Jr. — has chosen to let a jury decide his fate rather than accept the weight of a guilty plea. The reversal, quiet in its announcement but heavy in its implications, sets the stage for a trial that will revisit a day of violence born from a workplace dispute and ended with three deaths. It is a reminder that even in cases where the facts appear settled, the human need to be heard — or to resist — can redirect the course of justice.
On the afternoon of November 17, 2021, Anthony Reese Jr. walked into the Fargo Police Department and surrendered. Hours earlier, he had opened fire at Composite America, a factory in Fargo, North Dakota, killing two coworkers and an unborn child. Nearly a year later, the 36-year-old from Moorhead, Minnesota, has decided he will not plead guilty. He will go to trial.
The victims were Richard Pittman, 43, and April Carbone, 32, who was eight months pregnant. She and Pittman had already chosen a name for their daughter: Layla. Officers responding to 911 calls found Carbone dead at the scene; Pittman was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The violence had roots in an earlier confrontation. That morning, Reese had clashed with Pittman and another employee on the factory floor. Management asked him to leave. He did — then came back. According to a witness, Reese pulled out a handgun and shot Pittman, then turned and fired on Carbone as well. When he surrendered that afternoon, he told police where he had discarded the weapon. A 9mm semi-automatic pistol was recovered from a nearby residential neighborhood, consistent with the shell casings found at the scene.
For months, a guilty plea had seemed the likely outcome. Defense attorney Tracy Reames had been preparing for that resolution. But at a change-of-plea hearing on Monday, the defense reversed course without explanation — Reames said only that disclosing the reasoning could harm the defense strategy. The three murder charges now await a jury, and the question of Anthony Reese Jr.'s guilt will be answered in a courtroom rather than a plea agreement.
Anthony Reese Jr. walked into the Fargo Police Department on the afternoon of November 17, 2021, and turned himself in. Hours earlier, he had opened fire at Composite America, a factory in Fargo, North Dakota, killing two of his coworkers and an unborn child. Now, nearly a year later, the 36-year-old from Moorhead, Minnesota, has decided he will not plead guilty to the charges against him. Instead, he will stand trial.
Reese is charged with three counts of murder. The victims were Richard Pittman, 43, and April Carbone, 32, who was eight months pregnant. The couple had already chosen a name for their daughter: Layla. When police arrived at the factory in response to multiple 911 calls reporting an active shooter, they found Carbone dead at the scene. Pittman was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting did not happen in isolation. Earlier that day, Reese had been involved in an altercation with Pittman and another employee, Pourdeye Kegbeh, on the factory floor. Management told Reese to leave the premises. He did, but returned shortly after and confronted Pittman again. According to Kegbeh's account to police, Reese then pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots at Pittman. He then turned toward Carbone and shot her multiple times as well.
When Reese surrendered to police later that day, he told officers where he had disposed of the weapon. Investigators recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from a residential neighborhood, along with multiple 9mm cartridge casings found at the crime scene. The physical evidence aligned with his account of what he had done.
For months, it appeared the case would be resolved through a guilty plea. Reese's defense attorney, Tracy Reames, had been preparing for that outcome. But during a change of plea hearing on Monday, the defense reversed course. Reames declined to explain why Reese had decided to pursue a trial instead, saying that any public statement about the reasoning could compromise the defense strategy. The decision leaves the three murder charges unresolved and sets the case toward a courtroom proceeding where a jury will determine Reese's guilt or innocence on all counts.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Reese's attorney declined to elaborate on the plan to go to trial, saying any comment could impact the defense strategy.— Tracy Reames, Reese's defense attorney
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