Trenton standoff murder suspect indicted
TRENTON » Alleged killer Tyleeb Reese, who commanded international attention earlier this year during a 35-hour deadly standoff with police, has been indicted on heavy criminal charges.
A Mercer County grand jury on Wednesday handed up an 18-count indictment charging Reese with a variety of offenses ranging from murder to resisting arrest, according to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Reese, 35, of Trenton, is accused of shooting and killing a civilian, 56-yearold Robert Powell Jr., during the early hours of the standoff on May 10. The standoff ended about 5 p.m. May 11 with Reese surrendering peacefully. A judge eventually ordered Reese to be held without bail on pretrial detention.
The standoff began about 6:20 a.m. May 10 when a U.S. Marshals regional task force came under fire upon entering Reese’s house on the 300 block of Centre Street. The officers were attempting to arrest Reese that morning because he had previously failed to appear in court regarding a Megan’s Law violation. Reese is a convicted sex offender who must register his status with the proper law-enforcement authorities.
In the deadly standoff, Reese barricaded himself inside his home and allegedly fired at police in a gunfight that killed Powell and left three Mercer County Sheriff’s officers wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. In addition to first-degree murder, the indictment also charged Reese with seven counts of first-degree attempted murder, seven counts of second-degree aggravated assault, one count of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, one count of third-degree burglary, and one count of third-degree resisting arrest.
Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor John P. Boyle Jr. presented the case to the grand jury.