2023 Robinson murder case in jury's hands

A McLennan County jury is set to deliberate Thursday morning in the murder trial of a Kansas man accused of shooting a woman in Robinson last year, then setting her remains on fire.

Derek Joseph Daigneault, 28, of Kansas, has been on trial this week in the death of Mandy Rose Reynolds, 26. Three days of testimony in Waco's 19th State District Court wrapped up Wednesday, with prosecutors detailing a case that started with the discovery of Reynolds' burned body near Heston Circle in April 2023.

John William Knight, a firearm examiner with the Texas Department of Public Safety, testified Wednesday that he was able to match spent shell casings found near Reynolds' body to a firearm she owned.

Testimony throughout the week included accounts from law enforcement officers and forensic experts, who pieced together a trail of evidence that led from Robinson to Wichita, Kansas, where Daigneault was taken into custody days after Reynolds' body was found.

The Robinson Police Department initially responded to reports of a brush fire on the night of April 5, 2023, and they found Reynolds' body ablaze and with a gunshot wound, according to details in the investigation.

Robinson police Detective Marshal Perry testified Wednesday that investigators found surveillance images showing Daigneault's vehicle was in the area around the time Reynolds' body was found.

Robinson police then contacted law enforcement in Wichita, where Daigneault lived, and asked them to be on the lookout for him. He was arrested April 8, 2023, after a high-speed chase through Kansas.

Daigneault's defense attorneys questioned Perry about why DNA analysis was not conducted as part of the investigation.

Perry said there are some things officials wish they could have done differently in the investigation, but that he and the prosecution have no doubt about Daigneault's guilt.

Daigneault was initially detained in the Sedgwick County Jail on charges including evading arrest, aggravated battery and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon. He was later sentenced to more than nine years in Kansas on those charges before being extradited to McLennan County in May to face the murder charge in Reynolds' death.

Investigators said neither Daigneault nor Reynolds have known ties to the Robinson area. They believe the two may have been passing through the area at the time of the killing.

Prosecutors argued Daigneault's fleeing from police and his attempt to destroy evidence demonstrate a deliberate attempt to evade accountability.

The defense, led by Waco attorney Jason Darling, did not call any witnesses. In questioning the prosecution case, defense attorneys said investigators had not established a clear motive and that the forensic links to Daigneault are circumstantial.

The prosecution and defense wrapped up their case by 3 p.m. Wednesday. Judge Roy Sparkman, a visiting judge overseeing the trial, gave the jury the option to start deliberations immediately or reconvene Thursday morning. Jurors chose to start fresh at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

If convicted, Daigneault would face a prison term ranging from five to 99 years or life in prison. He remains in custody with bail listed at $1 million.

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