Murder of Adrianne Reynolds

• Adrianne Reynolds was originally from Kilgore, Texas.{{cite news|author=Bob Meadows|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20146836,00.html|title=This Teen Wanted to Be Popular. Did That Lead to Her Murder?|magazine=People|date=February 14, 2005|access-date=2015-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722111604/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20146836,00.html|archive-date=July 22, 2015}} She moved to East Moline, Illinois, when she was 16 to live with her adoptive father and stepmother, Tony and Joann Reynolds.{{Cite web |access-date=2011-08-15 |url=http://www.adriannereynolds.com/About%20Adrianne.html |title=Adrianne Leigh Reynolds Memorial Fund |date=May 21, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521101714/http://www.adriannereynolds.com/About%20Adrianne.html |archive-date=May 21, 2009 }} She began attending Black Hawk College Outreach Center in November 2004 to earn her GED so she could realize her dream of joining the Marines.{{Cite news |url=http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_491d3fbc-0643-11df-a00e-001cc4c03286.html |title=Five-year anniversary of East Moline teen's murder today |newspaper=Quad-City Times |access-date=2011-08-15}} While there, she met fellow students Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory.{{cite news|url=http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?90249-Illinois-teen-killed-and-dismembered-classmates-under-arrest |title=Illinois teen killed and dismembered classmates under arrest |access-date=2011-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324123837/http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?90249-Illinois-teen-killed-and-dismembered-classmates-under-arrest |archive-date=March 24, 2012 }}

• Sarah Kolb was reportedly a popular girl at the Outreach Center. She lived with her mother and stepfather in the nearby town of Milan, Illinois. When Adrianne started in the school, she befriended Sarah's former boyfriend and current best friend Cory Gregory.
• Cory Gregory originally attended Moline High School but later transferred to the Outreach Center, where he met Sarah.{{cite news |url=http://qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=296357 |title=Gregory's mother: Cory changed after hanging out with Sarah |newspaper=Quad-City Times |access-date=2011-08-15}} He lived with his mother at the time of the incident. In January 2005, Adrianne reportedly asked Cory out, which allegedly angered Sarah.{{cite web |url=https://www.kwqc.com/2022/03/09/cory-gregory-gets-same-sentence-2005-killing-adrienne-reynolds/?outputType=amp |title=Cory Gregory gets same sentence in 2005 killing of Adrianne Reynolds |newspaper=KWQC |date=March 9, 2022 |access-date=2023-07-09}}

On the afternoon of January 21, 2005, Sarah invited Adrianne to join her, Cory, and another friend Sean McKitrick for lunch at Taco Bell; When they arrived there, Sarah and Adrianne reportedly began fighting, Sean told Sarah to stop but she told him if he didn't like it then he should leave, and he immediately left. In the parking lot of Taco Bell, Cory held down Adrianne while Sarah strangled her with a belt.{{cite news |url=http://findcarrie.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=murder1&action=print&num=1111895846 |title=The Official Find Carrie Culberson Message Forum |access-date=2011-08-15}}{{unreliable source?|date=June 2015}}

After the murder, Sarah and Cory took Adrianne's body to Sarah's grandparents' farm in Aledo, Illinois, where they tried to burn it with gasoline. When it failed to burn after several hours, they recruited Nathan Gaudet, a 16-year-old boy from Moline, to help dismember the body. Nathan used his grandfather's handsaw to remove Adrianne's head and arms and placed them in a garbage bag. The three teenagers ate lunch at McDonald's, then later disposed of the garbage bag at the Black Hawk State Historic Site.

Adrianne's parents reported her missing after she failed to show up to work at a nearby Checkers restaurant.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15333880 |title=Circle of Friends: How did an unusual teen love triangle end in horrific murder? |work=NBC News |access-date=2011-08-05}} Authorities were led to Adrianne's remains a few days later on January 26, 2005, by Cory Gregory.

Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory were both charged with two counts of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide on February 1, 2005; they both pleaded not guilty.

Sarah was the first to go to trial, which began on October 31, 2005, at the Rock Island County Courthouse. After two weeks of trial and 15 hours of deliberation, the trial jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the three charges. The hung jury resulted in a mistrial. One juror opted for acquittal, while eleven were in favor of conviction.{{cite news|url=http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=4051509 |title=New Murder Trial Set For Sarah Kolb |date=November 23, 2005 |author=Nicol Lally |access-date=2011-08-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003133616/http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=4051509 |archive-date=October 3, 2011 }}

At her retrial on February 6, 2006, in Dixon, Illinois, Sarah was convicted on all counts. At her sentencing a few months later, she was sentenced to 48 years in prison for murder and 5 years for concealment. These sentences were to be served consecutively, for a total of 53 years incarcerated.{{Cite news|url=http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?s=5296568 |title=Sarah Kolb Sentenced |author=Kerry Hall |access-date=2011-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003133048/http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?s=5296568 |archive-date=October 3, 2011 }} She is serving her sentence at the Logan Correctional Center.{{cite web |url=http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/inms.asp |access-date=2011-08-15 |url-status=dead |title=Illinois Department of Corrections - Inmate Search |archive-date=2011-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608201547/http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/inms.asp }}

In the meantime, Cory Gregory pleaded guilty to all charges against him. On July 10, 2006, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murder and 5 years for concealment, resulting in a 45-year prison term. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, he is serving his sentence at the Pontiac Correctional Center.

Nathan Gaudet was also charged with concealment for helping to dismember Adrianne. He pleaded guilty and was given a juvenile sentence of five years. He was released from juvenile detention on November 11, 2008, after serving almost four years. On April 16, 2012, he died in an automobile crash in Indiana.{{cite news |author=Barb Ickes |url=http://qctimes.com/news/local/accomplice-in-east-moline-teen-s-killing-dies-in-fiery/article_2d85584c-8996-11e1-a999-0019bb2963f4.html |title=Accomplice in EM teen's killing dies in fiery crash |newspaper=Quad-City Times |date=April 18, 2012 |access-date=2015-06-14}}

This case has been discussed or portrayed on Dateline NBC in October 2006; Deadly Women in December 2010; E! Investigates in June 2011; Snapped in September 2011, and I Killed My BFF on LMN in August 2013. On November 9, 2020, the podcast Crime Junkie released an hour long episode detailing the case. It was discussed on the November 28, 2018, episode of Morbid: A True Crime Podcast. On March 2, 2022, it was featured on the Crimes of Passion podcast. On September 26, 2021, the case was addressed on the Murder with My Husband podcast.

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Adrianne}}

Category:1988 births

Category:2005 deaths

Category:2005 in Illinois

Category:2005 murders in the United States

Category:Deaths by person in Illinois

Category:Deaths by strangulation in the United States

Category:Deaths by beating in the United States

Category:January 2005 crimes in the United States

Category:Murder committed by minors

Category:2006 in Illinois

Category:Child murder in Illinois