Duarte’s family seeking life in prison for Reed

LINDALE — We now know more details following two murders last week in Lindale. David Joshua Reed, 40, is charged with killing 26-year-old Shelby Duarte and 43-year-old Timothy Nelson Jr. in the early-morning hours of December 9. On Monday, Duarte’s sister Shirley Thompson told our news partner KETK, “We believe that he deserves life in prison for what he did. Because, he took two innocent lives, they were asleep for God’s sake, they weren’t hurting him. He has to think about what he did for taking two lives because he was selfish and didn’t want her love to be shared by anybody else.”

Thompson, and Duarte’s Aunt Tabatha Hall went on to say family violence was part of her life with Reed.
“There was a history, I know of him doing evil and tormental things to her, that she didn’t deserve. She was too young, this was not right and we just want justice for my sister. Two lives were taken not just one. We hurt for that other family as well, because they were part of Shelby’s life as well.”

Reed is charged with capital murder, but is also facing charges of indecency with a child and several minor misdemeanors. Collectively, he is being held on a $1.3 million bond in Smith County Jail. Duarte had recently left Reed and that he was the subject of several cases of alleged abuse against her, including kidnapping and assault.