A convicted sex offender who murdered a visiting nurse at the Connecticut halfway house where he was living was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Michael Carlos Reese, 40, pleaded guilty to murder on Friday and was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the death of Joyce Grayson, 63, according to a press release from the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Windham.
Grayson, a long-time visiting nurse, went to a halfway house for sexual offenders in Willimantic on October 28, 2023, to complete a check-up on Reese. Instead of accepting her care, Reese strangled and beat her to death, then attempted to sexually assault her.
Several friends and family members spoke during the sentencing hearing.
“The family wants the world to know Joyce was a saint. The Grayson family’s attorney, Kelly Reardon, told reporters that the family wants the community to remember Joyce and her name rather than the defendant.
In addition to working as a nurse for decades, Grayson fostered 35 children over the years and was named “Foster Parent of the Year” in 2017.
Grayson’s daughter told the court that her mother taught her to help others “no matter how difficult it may be,” according to CTInsider.com. Reese killed Grayson while doing something she enjoyed, her other daughter claimed.
“He deserves to sit in a cell away from his family and friends for the rest of his life,” she told me.
Her friends and family remarked that Grayson did not die in vain. Her death sparked a series of new laws that went into effect last year, providing home healthcare workers with protections such as the right to request a chaperone and access to information about the potential danger a client poses.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Grayson’s meeting with Reese was only supposed to last eight minutes. However, the GPS tracker on her phone indicated that it was still there nearly four hours later, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime. The tracker turned off shortly before noon. The nurse also missed all of her subsequent appointments.
Grayson’s family members alerted the police.
Officers responded to the house, but no one answered. The nurse’s car was also not present. Police discovered that Reese, who was on probation and a sex offender with “violent tendencies,” was living at the halfway house, which was intended to reintegrate sex offenders into society. Officers called Reese’s probation officer, who informed them that his ankle bracelet indicated he was inside the home and showed no signs of tampering.
Meanwhile, police found the nurse’s car at a nearby business, and a K-9 dog led them back to the halfway house. Around 3:20 p.m., investigators received a call from the probation officer, who reported that Reese’s ankle bracelet was being tampered with. An officer apprehended Reese after he ran out the back door. According to the affidavit, he was carrying a pairing knife, a crack pipe, three of the victim’s credit cards, and the key fob to her vehicle.
Cops then entered the home and discovered Grayson’s body in the basement.
“This is a deeply troubling case on many levels, and one of the worst cases I have seen in 27 years of law enforcement,” Willimantic Police Chief Paul M. Hussey said in a statement. “Our condolences go out to the family of the victim.”
According to records, Reese was convicted in 2007 of first-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but it was suspended after 17 years. He was released on April 23, 2021. Reese was placed on probation until 2031. On March 31, 2022, he violated his probation by failing to comply with treatment and substance abuse requirements. In January, a judge revoked Reese’s original sentence and sentenced him to six years in prison, which could be suspended after six months served, along with nine years probation.
Reese was released from prison in March 2023 and began attending a residential treatment program for “high-risk individuals convicted of sexual offenses.” He then moved to a halfway house in Willimantic after finishing the program on August 2, 2023.
“I want to commend both agencies on their diligent investigation into the death of Ms. Grayson,” said State’s Attorney John F. Fahey. “While no sentence ever brings a loved one back to their family, some sense of justice was done today, in large part due to the hard work and tireless efforts of the Willimantic Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad.”
