A year after a fatal stabbing in Houston, the murder suspect, Adam T. Reams, of Waterloo, Ill., is set to stand trial before a jury on Dec. 12. The case will be heard by John D. Beger in Texas County.
Reams was charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and abandonment of a corpse after deputies found Billy Hayes, Jr., 30, stabbed to death just after midnight, June 2, 2021, in Houston. Investigators responded to a home in the 300 block of Broadway. They say Hayes suffered multiple stab wounds.
The morning after the crime a bloody knife matching a description provided by another person was found on Airport Road near Reams’ Houston residence on West Chestnut Street. Reams’ red bicycle was also found hidden in tall weeds in a field near Houston Municipal Airport. The bike reportedly had blood on its handlebars. An officer on scene said Reams had a large laceration to his right hand and was bleeding.
Reams’ wife told investigators the men had been drinking together on June 1. But, Reams told officers he hadn’t seen Hayes for awhile.
Two officers reported that Reams had a large amount of blood on his hands, arms and torso. The laceration to Reams’ hand was photographed and appeared to be extremely deep and consistent with an injury suffered from a knife wound.
Reams was already in jail for a domestic assault case handled by the Houston Police Department. Unknown at the time, hours earlier a man had been stabbed to death. Police later charged Reams with the crime.
Since the arrest, Reams was charged with possession of a weapon at the county jail. According to a report, two toothbrushes that had been transformed into potential weapons were found in his cell.