[Editor's Note: This story contains information, obtained from court documents, that alleges a violent, graphic and disturbing chain of events.]
Five years ago, a nightmare began in tight-knit Lazy Bend, a community in southern Grant County.
The events of that March 28, 2019, day are horrific and grotesque, ripping through Lazy Bend that sits near the Saline River south of the small town of Grapevine.
According to court documents, the gruesome crimes allegedly occurred because of one man: Philip Reynolds.
Reynolds, now 56, was born in El Dorado and spent his first four years in Crossett before his family returned to El Dorado. In a psychological evaluation, obtained by South Arkansas Reckoning, Reynolds talked about being “shipped off” to his paternal grandparents’ house in Sheridan during summers.
He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and then law school at Southern Methodist University in Texas. He became a criminal defense attorney and a district attorney in Texas, eventually opening his own law firm.
Reynolds moved to family land in Lazy Bend around 2016, according to court documents. Those court documents also paint a pattern of decades-long behavior that includes threatening his mother and ex-wife along with drug use, delusions and even more disturbing behaviors.
In Lazy Bend, Reynolds blended in to country life, residents say. Community members believed Reynolds was a friend, inviting him to cookouts, and, in turn, him allowing them to fish in his pond.
Although some in Lazy Bend said Reynolds seemed eccentric and beat to his own drum, they came to think of him as one of their own even if he was a city transplant from Texas. And there was one more thing that that made him a member of the community. Most everyone had known his grandparents, who passed away years ago, because they lived in Lazy Bend their entire lives. They were good people as folks say in the country.
The residents of Lazy Bend knew very little about their new neighbor, but a horrific chain of events would forever shatter lives.
That March Day
On the morning of March 28, 2019, a series of 911 calls were made to the Grant County Sheriff's Office about Reynolds’ erractic behavior.
In 2019, KATV reported, “According to one of the 911 calls obtained by KATV, several people had called law enforcement earlier that day, claiming Reynolds was threatening their lives.”
According to documents, Patrick Massey, 45, a life-long resident of Lazy Bend, was shot multiple times, stabbed and mutilated one day before Massey's 46th birthday.
Jerry Mauldin, then 58, a neighbor, had been shot in the leg, according to documents.
Law enforcement arrived, and gunfire was exchanged between Reynolds and law enforcement, according to documents and news accounts. Reynolds suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach.
Under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, evaluations in criminal cases are public record.
A 22-page “Forensic Evaluation—Criminal Responsibility Exam” performed on March 18, 2024, and filed in the Grant County Courthouse on April 25, 2024, tells the story of a well-educated lawyer, who possessed a long history of mental illness, drug use, family problems, unpaid child support and violence including carrying a gun on a school campus in Texas.
The exam was performed by Dr. Melissa Wright, Psy.D., Licensed Psychologist, at the Arkansas State Hospital for approximately two hours and 35 minutes. Reynolds’ attorney was present at the evaluation.
According to a section called “Forensic Examination: Official Account of the Offense” with “Information obtained from Arkansas Community Correction Violation Report for Case Number 2019-0026”:
On March 28, 2019, an agent from the Arkansas State Police was assigned to investigate an officer involved shooting that occurred in Grant County. Deputies with the Grant County Sheriff's Office had been dispatched to the area of 74 Grant County Road 193 related to a 911 call in which the caller advised that shots had been fired, Near this area, deputies encountered a person later identified as Jerry Mauldin. Mr. Mauldin was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. While the deputies were administering aid to Mr. Mauldin, they observed Philip Reynolds walking toward them from the 74 Grant 193 address. Mr. Reynolds then began firing a weapon at them. The deputies were able to return fire striking Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds then retreated to his residence where he fired additional shots at the deputies. He then fled into the nearby woods and later surrendered. When Mr. Reynolds was arrested, he stated to officers that “Massey was dead. He died a hero protecting his kids.” Both Mr. Mauldin and Reynolds were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment. Neither deputy was injured.
They also observed numerous shotgun shell casings around the body and a long-handled brush axe nearby. Officers observed apparent sharp trauma and gunshot injuries to the body. The body appeared to have been partially burned and four fingers had been severed from the victim's left hand, lying nearby were two propane torches and a 5-gallon bucket containing diesel fuel. Officers then entered the residence and observed what appeared to be large amounts of blood stain and spatter throughout the house. The victim was later identified as Patrick Massey. He had suffered nine different gunshot wounds, multiple sharp-force trauma injuries including stab wounds, and his body was burned post-mortem.”
In that same March 2024 examination by Wright, it stated:
Upon admission to ASH, Mr. Reynolds denied substance use but then stated, “I have taken recreational drugs.” He reported using drugs “very few times” and stated that he was “never addicted to any intoxicant.” He used cocaine “two or three times' during law school and crack cocaine once, He also reported to his treatment team that he used methamphetamine approximately "15 times" during his life, with his last use being "a couple of days before his arrest in 2019.
The evaluation also stated: “In 2011, Mr. Reynolds was diagnosed with Amphetamine Abuse and Psychotic Disorder NOS due to periodic meth use. He stated that he continued to go to his friend Tyrone’s house to smoke meth, which he began smoking about one year before.”
In a 2019 interview with Reynolds after the incident, that is cited in the 2024 evaluation, Reynolds recalled playing a video game.
Read Reynolds account of that day, according to the interview, that includes his explanation of shooting at officers and stripping off his clothes. He said, “I can remember certain things but can't put them in chronological order.”
(Paid subscribers can read the entire evaluation in The Dumpster section of this site.)
The Long Legal Road
An eight-page document filed in the Grant County Courthouse on April 30, 2019, by Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Howell explains Reynolds’ charges.
Between the COVID-19 pandemic postponing a jury trial in 2020 and Reynolds’ attorneys and the prosecuting attorney filing motions, the Reynolds case became a complicated and extended procedural legal battle.
From April 2019 until March 15, 2024, Reynolds underwent several psychological evaluations often centered on two questions: Was Reynolds mentally fit to stand trial? Was he a danger to himself and others?
In a Feb. 7, 2022, document filed in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Dr. Martin Watts, a psychiatrist with the Arkansas State Hospital, noted that Reynolds “needed continued treatment and supervision”. This document also explains more about the events of March 28, 2019, when Reynolds allegedly killed Massey.
A February 15, 2022, a Judge Note states Reynolds was fit to proceed based on an evaluation.
By May 2022, a Judge Note states Reynolds was not fit to proceed based on testimony in a hearing.
Throughout 2022 and into 2023, Reynolds’ attorney and the prosecuting attorney’s office on behalf of the state of Arkansas continued to file motions and counter motions as Reynolds went through more psychological evaluations.
The Conclusion in 2024
At a January hearing before Circuit Court Judge Stephen Shirron of the 7th Judicial Circuit, Dr. Wright said Reynolds was “now fit to proceed.”
A motion hearing was scheduled. A jury trial was set to begin on Oct. 21 and end Nov. 1. At the January hearing the court and attorneys discussed the potential defense of “Criminal Responsibility.”
On Feb. 5, Reynolds’ attorney filed a “Notice Intent to Raise Lack of Criminal Responsibility.” Under Arkansas law, the filing of this notice immediately suspended further proceedings in the prosecution.
Reynolds’ attorney asked the court on Feb. 9 that records concerning his case to be sealed.
That request was denied.
At the May 7 hearing, Circuit Court Judge Stephen Shirron ruled — based on Wright's March evaluation of Reynolds and her in-person testimony — that Reynolds “is acquitted on the grounds of lack of criminal responsibility.”
Wright's evaluation stated:
Shirron wrote in a Judge Note that Reynolds is “ordered to be committed to the custody of the AR Dept. of Human Svcs.” The clerk will submit a copy of the final order to the Arkansas Crime Information Center.
With that order, Reynolds will not face a jury trial in October. He will not go to prison.
A final order was entered into the record concerning the Reynolds case on May 21.
The Grant County community has raised concerns as to whether Reynolds will remain in the Arkansas State Hospital? That decision could possibly hinge on Act 911 of 1989.
Act 911 of 1989 provides the acquitted certain obligations and processes before being released. Read more about Act 911 here.
In recent years, according to news reports, people on this program have committed crimes after release.
Prosecuting Attorney Howell did not respond to questions emailed to her on Wednesday. Those questions were:
- Does Philip Reynolds qualify for potential release under Arkansas Act 911?
- Will your office follow and monitor the Reynolds case in the future if any motions are filed under Arkansas Act 911?
Meanwhile, the community of Lazy Bend, worries about Reynolds returning — one day.
Read our previous stories about this case:
Suzi Parker
Suzi Parker
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