UK UK- Karen Reed, 33, fatally shot 5X, killer disguised as pizza delivery man, possible contract killing of wrong target, Surrey, 30/4/94,*New appeal*

[dotr]

Reward offered for infomation on brutal shooting of Surrey woman

She was shot at multiple times in the hallway of her own home

www.getsurrey.co.uk

ByJames Gamble Saffron Otter Assistant Features Editor 29 Apr 2024

Chilling mystery of woman killed on own doorstep by 'pizza delivery' guy

Karen Reed was gunned down at the doorstep of her home in Woking on April 30, 1994. Surrey Police have now issued a fresh appeal amid the 30th anniversary of her murder

www.mirror.co.uk

''Police have today issued a fresh appeal in the cold case in what they believe was a contract killing, but with the wrong target. They say Karen, 33, had no involvement in criminal activity and believe the murder is a case of mistaken identity.
She was killed at her home in Woking, Surrey on April 30, 1994, by a mystery man disguised as a delivery driver. She was shot at five times at close range. A murder probe was immediately launched, with officers following thousands of lines of enquiry which reached out into Essex, Hertfordshire and London.''

An artist's impression of the suspect (
Image:
HNP Newsdesk/Hyde News & Pictures Ltd)
Police found a black bag with a knife inside (
Image:
HNP Newsdesk/Hyde News & Pictures Ltd)
''The man, described as tall, dark-haired, wearing glasses and holding a blue and white pizza box, asked her to confirm the address, which she did before she was shot at.''

 

[trendsetter]

More background information here (not sure how reliable it is): Karen Reed | True Crime Library

Can anyone explain how the artist's impression was obtained and how the assassin's words are known, please?

 

[dotr]

2021rbbm

New appeal over mysterious murder of scientist gunned down on doorstep

‘People out there know who killed Karen Reed,’ says detective investigating 1994 case

www.independent.co.uk

'Investigators have said they believe the professional hit was a case of mistaken identity, and that the intended target may have been Ms Reed’s sister – whose husband had been jailed for murdering two senior figures in the government of Chechnya.'

'Ms Reed worked in Surrey as a geophysicist and had been enjoying a glass of wine at home with a friend when she was brutally murdered.'
'It is believed the killer had made a bungled first attempt two weeks earlier, but ran off when his red Vauxhall Cavalier attracted the attention of police.'

https://www.surrey.police.uk/news/surrey/news/2024/04/continued-appeal-for-information-on-30th-anniversary-of-woking-murder/

25/04/2024
“Karen was an innocent young woman who was loved by those who knew her. She had absolutely no involvement in criminal activity, and we have always believed that this murder was a case of mistaken identity and a contract killing which went wrong.

“It’s time for the people who now what happened to do the right thing and come forward to help us.”

If you have any information that could help this investigation, you can upload it directly via our Major Incident Public Portal here.

You can also contact us via webchat by clicking on the button to the right or via 101.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.''

 

[dotr]

Police appeal for 30-year-old case of women shot in mistaken identity

Karen Reed, 33, was shot five times at close range outside her home in Woking, Surrey on April 30, 1994 in what police believe was a contract killing by a man posing as a pizza delivery driver.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Officers also discovered this rare Olney blue tartan cap after searching the car

Two weeks before Karen's murder, officers pursued a car acting suspiciously and later discovered this automatic pistol with a silencer

Police also found this large black handled commando knife in the red Vauxhall Cavalier

A large black Delsey Bag seized from the suspicious vehicle

 

[imstilla.grandma]

It said the man, described as wearing glasses and holding a pizza box, asked Ms Reed, who lived in Willow Way, to confirm the address before she was shot at close range five times.

Crimestoppers is offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of those linked to the murder.

Mick Duthie, director of operations at the charity, said: “We would like to see justice for Karen, her family and friends.”

Ms Reed's brother has previously appealed for help to find the “coward” who killed his “gentle, compassionate and warm-hearted” sister.

In a statement on Crimewatch Live in 2021, he said: “Karen answered her front door to someone who, without asking her name, shot her dead.

“A moment earlier, she had been curling up with her cats, having a glass of wine, catching up with a friend."

He described her leading a “blameless, quite ordinary life” and said she deserved justice.

Woking: Pizza delivery murder unsolved after 30 years

Surrey Police believes the death was a contract killing and a case of mistaken identity.

www.bbc.com

 

[tes1984]

More background information here (not sure how reliable it is): Karen Reed | True Crime Library

Can anyone explain how the artist's impression was obtained and how the assassin's words are known, please?

I think she was having a drink with her sister when the hitman arrived. Her sister must have heard the conversation and glimpsed him.

Presumably he didn't see the sister or she would have been killed too.

 

[tes1984]

Five bullets seems like overkill. How many bullets would there be left in an automatic pistol?

 

[dotr]

How the Woking News & Mail reported the Karen Reed murder in 1994: Part One

In a new two-part series, we take a look back at the unsolved murder of Karen Reed in 1994

www.wokingnewsandmail.co.uk

Friday 3rd May 2024
''No one has ever been convicted of the murder. However, the story has been in the news once again as the charity Crimestoppers is currently offering up to £20,000 for new information, with the money being donated anonymously.''

'Karen worked as a geophysicist in Addlestone. Her sister, Alison Ponting, 31, worked for the BBC World Service as a producer for its Russian and Ukrainian sections.'

 

[trendsetter]

Amazingly, the police had published a photograph of Ponting (the putative intended victim) - presumably Reed resembled her sister sufficiently to be mistaken for her.

 

[tes1984]

Woking had a large Anglo-Italian population, so presumably pizza deliveries weren't uncommon.

He doesn't pose as a motorbike delivery man, and go to the door wearing a crash helmet though.

He doesn't mind being seen, because he's probably not from the immediate area, and he doesn't expect two people to be in the house. I guess he leaves the scene unaware that someone else is still in the property.