Suvechha Sarkar
Leslie Jane Sphar Reeves was a dedicated mother and a compassionate individual who raised her voice for women’s rights and social standing. However, her life tragically came to a sudden end when she was murdered during a first date in late 2021. What could have been the beginning of a new chapter actually took a violent turn, leaving her community completely shocked. CBS’ ’48 Hours: Fatal First Date’ delves into the investigation of this horrific crime, shedding light on the circumstances and the relationships that led to the murder. It also features interviews from officials and loved ones involved in the case.
Leslie Reeves Was a Dutiful Mother and an Advocate For Women’s Rights
Leslie Jane Sphar was born on June 26, 1976, in Town and Country, Missouri, and brought immense joy to the lives of her parents, Lynette Grothe and Richard Sphar. She grew up surrounded by the love and support of her parents and her sister, Heather. She always had a bright smile and loved immersing herself in activities like dancing, traveling, and exercising, among many others. She was also academically gifted and successfully juggled studies and extracurriculars as a youngster. Before graduating from Collinsville High School, she had proudly taken on the role of a Kahok cheerleader. She later decided to pursue her academic passion and earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. Leslie then attained a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Kansas and began her professional journey as a Petroleum Engineer.
However, Leslie’s heart led her to dedicate her life to a path of service for the community. Hence, she decided to do so through her business, All You Studio & Party Place. This venture allowed her to teach Pilates while promoting self-defence classes for women. She even became an advocate for women in abusive relationships. In her personal life, Leslie had once been married. She had welcomed two children, Lawson and Larkin, with immeasurable joy with her husband. However, her marriage did not work out as she had hoped, eventually leading to a divorce. She was always a doting mother, and a big part of her life revolved around her children. Everything was going perfectly until Leslie’s life turned upside down in the early hours of Thanksgiving on November 25, 2021.
Leslie Reeves Was Found in a Pool of Blood at Her First Date’s Home
On the evening of November 24, 2021, Leslie had gone out for a first date with Christopher “Chris” Smith, whom she met online. They went to a bar in Farmersville, Illinois, and had a splendid time together, resulting in them deciding to continue their date at his home down the street. During their time together, she initially texted her best friend to say that things were going well before forwarding her location. However, she reportedly sent a follow-up expressing that something felt off. So, when the friend was unable to reach her the following morning, she began driving to Chris’ address and called 911 for a welfare check. Upon reaching the location, she found that his neighbor was also there to check on him. When the latter went up to the home, she saw that the back door was broken and Chris was lying on the kitchen floor. When the officials arrived at the scene, they found him barely breathing in a pool of blood.
Then, moving into the home, investigators found that the kitchen table, fridge, and chairs were all in disarray, and Leslie was deceased in the living room. Chris was immediately rushed to the hospital while officials continued assessing the scene, noting there was no weapon anywhere nearby. What they did find was a burnt pizza in the oven, and the back door glass shattered, indicating they were likely ambushed while trying to continue getting to know one another. They believed that a third person committed the crime. Leslie’s cause of death was later determined to be a single gunshot wound to her head. Chris had a similar injury from the same 9 mm weapon, but he fortunately survived.
An Inconsistent Alibi Helped Officials Identify the Potential Killer
Officials first questioned Nanette, who reportedly informed them that Leslie was worried about her former boyfriend, Robert Tarr, AKA Bobby. When he was interrogated, he claimed that he and Leslie were still together and alleged that he had never been to Farmersville. Robert claimed that he had gone to a friend’s house on the evening of November 24, at around 6:30 pm, and had returned shortly after to stay in the house the entire night with his 17-year-old daughter, Shelby. However, when they questioned the latter, she informed the police that he had left the house twice that night. As per her accounts, when he had returned the first time around 9:45 pm, he seemed quite upset. She further added that she had woken up around 2:45 am to find him doing his laundry. When Robert was again questioned, he changed his accounts, claiming that he had visited his friend’s house twice and insisted that he was home by 8:00 pm.
Upon searching Robert’s home, detectives found his phone and a gun. However, this gun did not match the murder weapon. Additionally, they were unable to find the firearm that did match the weapon, which Shelby had informed them about seeing in his drawer the day before the fateful day. Yet, officials did find security camera footage that captured him getting gas at a gas station in Troy just after midnight, which made it clear he had lied. Robert was immediately arrested on November 26, 2021, and charged with the first-degree murder of Leslie and the first-degree attempted murder of Chris. Although he continued to maintain his innocence, he admitted that he had visited Chris’ home the night before Thanksgiving. He alleged that he had met Leslie before her date, who had informed him that she was meeting some friends at Farmersville. Robert further claimed that she had allegedly asked him to follow her car for safety reasons, which is how he had been to Chris’ place.
Discovery of the Murder Weapon Brought the Killer to Justice
However, Robert’s account was contradicted by a text Leslie sent to one of her friends. In the text, she reportedly said that she needed to cut off all contact with him because he made her fear for her life. Initially, detectives were unable to find any physical evidence against him. However, a week after the fact, they got a call from his friend, Billy Adams, who informed them that Robert had called him from jail and reportedly asked him to get deck brackets from his home. Since this raised suspicions, officials ended up searching his yard but found no weapon. A few days later, Robert’s brother called them when his family found a ziplock bag. Upon arriving at the home, they found it in the yard with a 9 mm Springfield Hellcat pistol inside. The gun had Leslie’s DNA on it, and the bag had his fingerprints. Additionally, the ammunition in the gun matched the bullet that killed Leslie and injured Chris. Officials determined it to be the murder weapon.
Robert alleged that Leslie had bought the gun from him, but to no avail. In September 2022, a jury also indicted him on two counts of solicitation of murder for hire, based on the allegations of an inmate. As per the inamte, Robert allegedly paid him $10,000 to kill Chris and the lead detective of their case. In the end, his trial began on April 26, 2024, and after days of testimonies, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder of Leslie and attempted first-degree murder of Christopher, with two counts of firearm enhancement. On July 1, 2024, Robert was sentenced to a total of 85 years in prison: 25 years for murder, 10 years for attempted murder, and 25 years each for the enhancement. He has to serve at least 85% of his sentence before he can be eligible for parole, which means he will not be eligible before August 2101. As of writing, Robert is serving his sentence at Lawrence Correctional Center, located in Sumner, Illinois. Furthermore, he is awaiting trial for the charges of solicitation of murder for hire.
Read More: Chris Smith: Where is the Survivor Now?
