Adrianne Leigh Reynolds was originally from Kilgore, Texas, and moved to East Moline, Illinois, at age 16 to live with her grandfather and step-grandmother, Tony and Joann Reynolds. In November 2004 she began attending the Black Hawk College Outreach Center to earn her GED, with the goal of joining the Marines. There she met fellow students Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory.
Kolb, described as a popular student at the Outreach Center, lived with her mother and stepfather in nearby Milan, Illinois. Gregory had transferred to the Outreach Center from Moline High School and lived with his mother. Gregory was Kolb's close friend and former boyfriend. In January 2005, Reynolds reportedly asked Gregory out, which allegedly angered Kolb.
On the afternoon of January 21, 2005, Kolb invited Reynolds to join her, Gregory, and another student, Sean McKitrick, for lunch at a Taco Bell. Kolb and Reynolds began fighting in the parking lot; when McKitrick told Kolb to stop, she told him to leave if he did not like it, and he did so. Kolb then began strangling Reynolds, and Gregory finished the strangulation using a belt.
After the killing, Kolb and Gregory transported Reynolds's body to Kolb's grandparents' farm in Aledo, Illinois, where they attempted to burn it with gasoline. When the body failed to burn after several hours, they recruited a 16-year-old acquaintance from Moline to help dismember it. That teen used his grandfather's handsaw to remove Reynolds's head and arms, which were placed in a garbage bag. The three teenagers then ate lunch at a McDonald's before disposing of the bag at the Black Hawk State Historic Site.
Reynolds's parents reported her missing after she failed to appear for a shift at a nearby Checkers restaurant. Authorities were led to her remains on January 26, 2005, by Gregory.
Kolb and Gregory were each charged on February 1, 2005, with two counts of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; both initially pleaded not guilty. Kolb's first trial, beginning October 31, 2005, at the Rock Island County Courthouse, ended in a mistrial after a jury deadlocked 11–1 in favor of conviction following roughly 15 hours of deliberation. At her retrial on February 6, 2006, in Dixon, Illinois, Kolb was convicted on all counts and later sentenced to 48 years for murder and 5 years for concealment, served consecutively for a total of 53 years; she is incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center.
Gregory pleaded guilty to all charges and, on July 10, 2006, was sentenced to 40 years for murder and 5 years for concealment, a total of 45 years; he is held at Pontiac Correctional Center.
The teen who helped dismember the body was charged with concealment, pleaded guilty, and received a juvenile sentence of five years, being released on November 11, 2008. He died in an automobile crash in Indiana on April 16, 2012.
Adrianne Reynolds begins attending the Black Hawk College Outreach Center to earn her GED, meeting classmates Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory.
2005-01
Reynolds reportedly asks Cory Gregory out, allegedly angering Sarah Kolb.
2005-01-21
Kolb and Gregory strangle Reynolds after a fight at a Taco Bell parking lot; her body is taken to a farm in Aledo, Illinois, burned, and dismembered with the help of a 16-year-old acquaintance; remains are disposed of at Black Hawk State Historic Site.
2005-01-26
Authorities are led to Reynolds's remains by Cory Gregory after her parents reported her missing.
2005-02-01
Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory are each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; both plead not guilty.
2005-10-31
Sarah Kolb's first trial begins at the Rock Island County Courthouse.
2006-02-06
At her retrial in Dixon, Illinois, Sarah Kolb is convicted on all counts.
2006-07-10
Cory Gregory, having pleaded guilty, is sentenced to 40 years for murder and 5 years for concealment (45 years total).
2008-11-11
The juvenile who helped dismember Reynolds's body is released from juvenile detention after almost four years.
2012-04-16
The former juvenile co-defendant dies in an automobile crash in Indiana.
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People
Adrianne Reynolds
VICTIM
16-year-old East Moline, Illinois student killed on January 21, 2005
Sarah Kolb
CONVICTED
Convicted at retrial on February 6, 2006, of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; sentenced to 53 years total
Cory Gregory
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; sentenced on July 10, 2006, to 45 years total
Nathan Gaudet
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty to concealment of a homicide for helping dismember the victim's body; received a five-year juvenile sentence
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Adrianne Reynolds, a 16-year-old East Moline, Illinois high school student, was beaten, strangled, burned, and dismembered by classmates Sarah Kolb and Cory Gregory on January 21, 2005. Both were convicted; a third teen who helped dismember the body was also convicted as a juvenile.
Where did the murder happen?
East Moline, Illinois.
Who was convicted?
Sarah Kolb (Convicted at retrial on February 6, 2006, of first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; sentenced to 53 years total), Cory Gregory (Pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and concealment of a homicide; sentenced on July 10, 2006, to 45 years total), and Nathan Gaudet (Pleaded guilty to concealment of a homicide for helping dismember the victim's body; received a five-year juvenile sentence).
