Walkford murder trial: Edward Reeve asked youth accused of murdering him to deal him drugs, court hears

A JURY at the trial of two teens accused of murdering Walkford man Edward Reeve was shown footage recovered from one of their phones of the youth inhaling from a balloon at the victim’s house.

Filmed by the Christchurch defendant, it showed him and a group of other young men inhaling from pink balloons while shouting and laughing.

Mr Reeve can be seen in the footage saying what Detective Superintendent Sarah Gedge described as a “greeting”.

The trial at Winchester Crown Court has heard how the “vulnerable and lonely man” was stabbed and slashed to death allegedly by the Christchurch youth and another teen from Bournemouth just two days after the footage was filmed. They were both 16 at the time of the incident on New Year’s Eve 2021.

After the gathering on 29th December at Mr Reeve’s home in Heath Road, the jury heard that he repeatedly called the Christchurch teen in the early hours of the next day apparently looking for drugs.

In one text message, the teen said to Mr Reeve: “What do you want from me, you neek?” The court was told this was a combination of ‘nerd’ and ‘geek’

Mr Reeve sent a text to the Christchurch defendant saying: “Coke weighed in at 20.”

Asked by prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones QC what she took that to mean, Detective Superintendent Gedge said: “Cocaine.”

According to the prosecution, the Christchurch teen stole a computer from Mr Reeve’s home on 29th December which he later gave to a female friend.

In a statement read to the court, her mother said when she asked her daughter where it had come from, she said: “They got it from a nitty's house. She told me it was a drug addict whose house they used all the time."

In CCTV footage shown earlier to the jury, Mr Reeve could be seen visiting the Walkford Stores and Arowana takeaway near his home in the days leading up to his death.

On one occasion prosecutor Ms Karmy-Jones said he could be seen doing a “fist-bump” to a man “known to be linked to drugs”.

Stills from CCTV in the Walkford store showed the Christchurch defendant together with the Bournemouth teen, who is now 17, on New Year’s eve just a short while before they are said to have made their way to Mr Reeve's house.

The Christchurch teen was caught on the store's CCTV again on 3rd January – the day when it is alleged he returned to Mr Reeve’s house to see what had happened to him since the attack.

The teens are charged with murder and possession of a blade. The Christchurch youth has denied murder but admitted carrying a knife. He says he stabbed Mr Reeve once in self defence.

The Bournemouth youth denies both charges.