Exhibit A

Date: September 10, 2013

Video description: The victim records a Snapchat video of herself. The intended recipient is her friend Mollie Schwartz. She speaks to her friend in the style of a “vlog.”

Video transcript: OMG girl so I was walking home from school today and Ben fucking Michaels stopped me on the street and he was like hey Reese what’s up and I was like not much just walking home and he was like I think it’s so cool that you’re captain of the cheerleading team this year I’m so excited to work with you—cause you know he’s football captain—and I was like yeah we’re gonna have to spend a lot of time together to organize team…bonding *wink wink.* And I totally said it just like that all flirty, like totally seductive, and he like put his hand on my arm and oh my god his hands are huge and like covered in calluses I absolutely swooned like I think he’s totally into me oh shit that’s my mom coming upstairs for dinner you’re not coming over right cause I know I invited you but I think she made pasta and garlic bread and I know you’re allergic okay bye bitch.

Exhibit B

Date: November 14, 2013

Image 1: Smith poses in her cheerleading uniform. She kneels on a football field, pom poms raised, and appears happy. In the background, her team poses similarly. The Franklin High Bears have just won the homecoming game. Image taken by Smith’s friend, Molly Schwartz, and submitted for use identifying the body.

Image 2: Smith, still in her cheerleading uniform, kisses then-boyfriend Benjamin Michaels, who wears his football jersey. The kiss seems spontaneous amidst celebration. Image taken by Mollie Schwartz and submitted for use identifying the suspect.

Image 3: Smith hugs Schwartz, who holds the phone camera extended to take a “selfie” of the two. Smith is looking at the camera; Schwartz is looking at Smith.

Exhibit C

Date: May 6, 2014

Transcript of Witness Testimony from Tim Smith: She’d been behaving strangely lately, but I assumed it was regular teenage girl stuff. Teenagers are complicated—girls even more so than boys. You know, Mel and I had no trouble with our son, Reese’s brother. Played basketball all four years, graduated summa cum laude, and went to USC, fight on. [Witness raises two fingers in a peace sign salute]. Reesie was waiting to hear from colleges before she [witness chokes up]. Now, we’ll never know where she might have ended up. Mel and I don’t know her log-ins, so we can’t check. She used to care about school so much before she started hanging around with that Mollie Schwartz. Mollie got her into all kinds of weird female things. Something about the occult or chakras or Ouija boards or some shit. I don’t really know what any of the words mean.

Exhibit D

Date: May 6, 2014

Transcript of Witness Testimony from Melanie Smith: It was that good-for-nothing Michaels boy for sure. I never liked them hanging around together. He broke up with her right before the big dance and left my baby crying in her room. I fought with his mother about it because someone had to tell her she raised a punk, and she had the audacity to tell me that Benjamin told her that Reese was cheating on him. But I know my girl would never do that and I told her so. And even if she did, it doesn’t mean that he could [Witness begins to sob, becomes unintelligible].

Exhibit E

Date: May 7, 2014

Transcript of Witness Testimony from Mollie Schwartz: Reese didn’t cheat on Ben. They broke up because…well, it’s not really my position to say. I know she’s dead and she can’t fucking tell you herself, but it’s still not my business, okay? And it’s not even relevant. Anyway, Mr. Smith only thought we were doing devil worship because I started taking Reese out to…clubs at night. I didn’t get her into drugs or anything. We just wanted to listen to music. It’s more fun to be out at night.

Exhibit F

Date: May 7, 2014

Transcript of Witness Testimony from Benjamin Michaels: I know y’all are thinking I killed Reese cause it’s always the white man these days, right? It’s just not safe to be a guy anymore. Why did I break up with her? Because she’s a fucking lesbian, that’s why. I caught her kissing that skank Mollie Schwartz under the bleachers. I heard they were going to gay clubs, too. That’s what I heard.

Exhibit G

Date: May 5, 2014

Image description: Body identified as belonging to Reese Smith. Found beside Canyon Road at 2300. No visible signs of injury except small puncture wounds in the side of her neck. Picture taken by Kevin Sharp upon discovering the corpse.

Exhibit H

Date: May 5, 2014

Transcript of Witness Testimony from Kevin Sharp: I’m the one who found the body. I was drivin’ my truck out past the canyon, which I do a lot at night when I need to clear my head. ‘Cept tonight I saw that girl’s body in the middle of the road. I wasn’t sure what I was seein’ at first so I pulled over and hopped out. She was lookin’ super sickly and pale, and I couldn’t find any pulse at all when I tried so I knew she was already dead. There weren't any other wounds aside from those neck ones, but I was a firefighter in my prime, so I know how to check a pulse. I didn’t see anyone else out there. I stayed ‘til the cops arrived, but I sat in my truck cause it was fuckin’ freezin’ out there that night. Cold for May, I remember thinkin’. When the cops got there, I went to show ‘em the body and it was gone. No fuckin’ clue what happened. I may have been lookin’ at my phone while I waited, but I swear I woulda seen if someone tried to move the body.

Exhibit I

Date: January 2, 1895

Image description: A group of four women gather around a table. They wear period typical clothing and hold books with covers too faded to read through the black and white photograph. An unidentifiable symbol is drawn on the table. Three of the women have similar facial features and blonde hair. Historians presume these are the Thompson sisters, distant relatives to the Vanderbilt family and well-known occultists. Fourth woman’s identity is unknown.

Exhibit J

Date: June 2, 2014

Image description: Fondue fork found in Benjamin Michaels’ bedroom. Crusted blood on the two prongs identified as Reese Smith’s. Presumed murder weapon.

Exhibit K

Date: May 5, 2014

Video description: Benjamin Michaels’ Instagram vlog. His band plays at a house party from 2130 to 2300 on the night of the murder.

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Maybe Necks Time: A Wrap on the Case of Reese Smith

January 19, 2015

Written by Goldie Burns, Consulting Reporter

Prime suspect Benjamin Michaels has been found not guilty in the disappearance of high schooler Reese Smith, who has not been seen since last May. Despite a potential murder weapon found in his home, prosecutors were unable to prove his presence at the murder site due to video taken by Michaels of his band playing a gig. Though the prosecution argued that the time of the murder is unknown due to the disappearing corpse and lack of an autopsy, it wasn’t enough to prove to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I’m proof that it’s okay to stand up for yourself,” Michaels said when this reporter spoke with him after the trial. “They’re trying to silence white men, and we won’t let them.” When asked to clarify who he meant by “they,” Michaels had no answer.

Among other unanswered questions: If Michaels is innocent, how did a weapon matching the puncture wounds with the victim’s blood on it end up in his home?

In fact, it was a trial full of mysteries. A source who wished to remain anonymous reported that Mollie Schwartz, friend of the victim and another key witness, never responded to calls to testify. Police seem unable to locate her, though no missing persons report has been filed. I have exclusive insight that this is because no one at the station can find any record of a Mollie Schwartz that fits her age and description living in Canyon Park or the surrounding area.

Whatever you think happened, there’s a bunch of holes in this case. (Sorry for the pun, y’all. I shouldn’t make jokes when a girl gets stabbed, but sometimes you have to keep it light.)

Image description: Reese Smith poses holding a sign that reads ‘first day of senior year.’

Comments:

• trUeCrimEjuNKie (posted January 22, 2015): damn we get no real resolution here i wanna hear what happened to her

• GirlMomma (posted February 3, 2015): Sending love to poor Reese and her family. Heaven has another angel.

  • Rainbowbitch (posted May 8, 2025): Could’ve sworn I saw her holding hands with a girl at Club Queer the other night. She looked exactly the same as that photo too.

    • trUeCrimEjuNKie (posted May 8, 2025): girl she died eleven years ago you crazy

      • Rainbowbitch (posted May 9, 2025): All us gay bitches look the same, I swear.