Man facing murder charge after I-75 chase appears in court

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The man accused of murder after state police say a dead woman was found in his SUV after leading law enforcement on a chase appeared in court Friday morning.

David Reed is facing a long list of charges.

Reed appeared via video in court Friday morning for his official arraignment. The judge said Reed was facing two separate cases with multiple charges in each.

“Wanton Endangerment of a police officer second degree, one, two, three, four of those charges, careless driving, resisting arrest, and no operator’s license. That’s on one citation,” the judge said.

In addition to those charges, Reed was charged with fleeing and evading police and criminal mischief.

On the second citation, he was charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.

Kentucky State Police arrested Reed earlier this week after he started a chase in Madison County. That chase ended after authorities say Reed ran into a couple of KSP cruisers and crashed just north of London.

Trooper placed Reed under arrest and then found the body of a woman in a plastic tote bag in the back of the car. That woman was identified as 53-year-old Rachel Louise Carder of Huntington, West Virginia.

KSP says Carter had wounds on her face that looked to come from an edged weapon, and red stains were found on Reed’s pants which investigators believed to be blood.

Reed is due back in court next on January 24 for a preliminary hearing on his charges. The judge set Reed’s bond at $1 million, saying that if he could refuse him bond, he would.

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