Fight Between Husband and His Lover Ends in Pregnant Wife's Brutal Murder

This chilling true crime story follows the brutal 2023 murder of pregnant Fairbanks woman Hannah Reeves and the shocking trial that gripped Alaska in 2024. From the bloody crime scene investigation and multiple suspects—including her husband Ethan Reeves, pipeline worker Caleb Foster, and respected dentist Dr. Marissa Cho—to the DNA twist that exposed hidden affairs, gambling debts, and drug trafficking, every detail reveals a dark web of lies, betrayal, and violence.


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is true crime case Files. Today we travel to Fairbanks,
Alaska in the bitter cold of January twenty twenty three.
It's a story of secrets, betrayal, and a young woman
who believed in love but instead became the victim of
a brutal and senseless crime. Hannah Reeves was twenty nine
years old and she lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. She worked

(00:20):
as a librarian at the Nuelwi In Public Library, the
largest public library in the city. Hannah was known around
town for her gentle smile and the way she made
children feel welcome when they walked into the reading room.
She often slipped small notes of encouragement inside books before
checking them out to kids. Each note carried simple messages
about kindness or bravery, and many parents later said their

(00:42):
children treasured finding them. In January of twenty twenty three,
Hannah was five months pregnant with twins. She carried her
knitting bag with her almost everywhere, and during her lunch
breaks at the library, she could often be found making
tiny pairs of baby booties. She kept a Pinterest board
full of nursery decorating ideas and had bookmarked dozens of
cribs and strollers online from stores like Target and Walmart.

(01:06):
Hannah had been born and raised in Alaska. She grew
up in a modest home with her parents, Mark and Lindareas,
and her younger sister, Emily. Emily later moved to Antridge,
but the two sisters stayed close, talking several times a
week through FaceTime. Hannah studied English literature at the University
of Alaska, Fairbanks, where she fell in love with stories

(01:27):
and dreamed of someday writing a children's book of her own.
She had a soft, almost old fashioned personality, preferring evenings
with tea, books and puzzles rather than nights out. She
met Ethan Reeves, her future husband, in high school, and
the two married in twenty eighteen. To neighbors, they seemed
like the picture of a small town couple building a
steady life together. Hannah worked at the library and Ethan

(01:51):
picked up jobs as a mechanic. Hannah's coworkers noticed that
she often spoke with optimism about her future. In early January,
she mentioned plains for a baby shower scheduled for Lake February.
She was already picking out decorations in pastel colors and
scrolling Amazon for diaper bags, and bassinets. Outside of work,
Hannah loved supporting her community. She volunteered at winter book drives,

(02:14):
sometimes even helping families who couldn't afford warm coats by
connecting them with local charities. She attended services at a
small church in Fairbanks, and occasionally joined her parents on
weekend trips to farmers' markets, even in the coldest months.
She also enjoyed watching popular shows like Abbot Elementary, which
she streamed on Hulu during quiet evenings, and she followed

(02:34):
the news of the time, including headlines about rising egg
prices and the release of Prince Harry's memoir Spare. Hannah's
friends described her as the type of person who believed
deeply in love and loyalty. She dreamed of raising her
children in Fairbanks, in the same community where she had
grown up, close to family and friends. She wanted a
simple life filled with books of stories and warmth. What

(02:56):
she did not know was that the like she pictured
was in danger. While she knitted tiny clothes for her
twins and planned for the months ahead, a hidden side
of her marriage was unfolding around her, one that would
soon change everything. The morning of January eighteen, twenty twenty
three in Fairbanks, Alaska, was bitterly cold. Temperatures were below
zero and the air was heavy with frost. Around nine

(03:20):
thirty m Hannah's neighbor, Karen Willis, walked across the snow
yard to return a glass casseroll dish she had borrowed
during the holidays. Karen, a fifty six year old retired
school teacher, lived just two houses down and often checked
in on Hannah, especially now that Hannah was pregnant. When
Karen reached the reefs small homes, she noticed that no

(03:40):
smoke came from the chimney. This struck her as unusual,
since Hannah normally kept a fire going during the coldest months.
Karen knocked softly at first, then louder. No one came
to the door. Hannah's car, a gray Subaru outback, was
parked in the driveway, and the fresh snow showed no
tire tracks leading the property. Concerned, Karen knocked again and
called out. After several minutes with no answer, she tried

(04:03):
the door knob. The door was unlocked, which immediately made
her uneasy. Karen stepped inside and was hit with the
stillness of the house. The TV was off. The kitchen
like flickered faintly, and the smell of stale hair lingered.
She set the casserole dish on the counter and carefully
moved toward the bedroom. Karen called Hannah's name as she
walked down the hallway. She pushed the bedroom door open

(04:26):
and froze. Hannah was sprawled across the bed, lying unnaturally still.
Her hair was matted against her face, and one of
her arms dangled over the side of the mattress. At
first glance, it looked like she might simply be asleep,
but Karen quickly noticed dark bruises across Hannah's skin and
blood on the sheets. Her clothing was torn and the

(04:46):
bedding was twisted as if there had been a struggle.
Karen's heart pounded as she realized this was not a
fainting spell or an accident. Something violent had happened. Her
hands shook as she backed away from the bed. She
pulled her phone from her coat pocket and dialed nine
to one one, Struggling to keep her voice from breaking,
she gave the dispatcher of the address and explained that

(05:07):
her young neighbor, who was pregnant, was not moving and
appeared badly hurt. While waiting for police to arrive, Karen
stood in the front entryway, afraid to go farther inside.
She stared at the family photographs on the wall, pictures
of Hannah and Ethan smiling on a hiking trail, and
felt a wave of disbelief. Just weeks earlier, she had
chatted with Hannah about knitting patterns and the new season

(05:30):
of Yellowstone, which had been popular that month on Paramount Network.
Now she was facing the unthinkable. The minutes dragged on
until Karen finally heard the distant wail of sirens cutting
through the cold air. Shivering and pale, she stepped outside
into the snow to flag down the approaching officers. Desperate
for help to come quickly. When Karen Willis placed her

(05:50):
frantic nine to one one call, Fairbanks Police responded quickly.
By nine forty five am on January eighteen, twenty twenty,
three patrol cars pulled up to the small Reefs home,
their flashing lights reflecting against the snow. Banks officers entered
cautiously securing the residents before calling in the detectives. The
case was assigned to detectives Michael Larson and Andrea Vega,

(06:13):
both veterans of the Fairbanks Police Department. Larson fifty two
was a steady presence on the force, known for his
patience and careful eye for detail. Vega thirty seven had
built a reputation for quick thinking and strong instincts. Together,
they formed a balanced team, respected among their peers. When
the detectives walked into the bedroom, they encountered a scene

(06:34):
that shocked even them. Blood Stained the sheets and pillowcases,
and the once white comforter was twisted and smeared with
dark blotches. Hannah's body lay stretched across the bed. Her
clothing was torn, her ribs were broken, and her skin
showed deep bruising from repeated blows. Later, the coroner would
determine that Hannah had been stomped and jumped on until

(06:55):
her chest collapsed, crushing her lungs and ribs. The level
of violence suggested age and desperation, not a random act.
The room itself showed signs of a struggle. A lamp
had toppled over on the nightstand, scattering chattered glass across
the floor. A picture frame, once holding a smiling photo
of Hannah and Ethan was cracked and faced down near
the dresser. A faint smell of alcohol hung in the air,

(07:18):
strongest near the half empty bottle of whisky lying on
the carpet beside the bed. It was a common brand,
Jack Daniels, one of the top sellers in Alaska liquor stores.
The detectives and forensic team immediately began their work. They
photographed the body in every detail of the room, from
the scuffed walls to the messy footprints near the bed.
Officers dusted for fingerprints on door knobs, bottles, and furniture surfaces.

(07:42):
They bagged the whisky bottle as evidence, swabbing it for DNA.
Outside in the snow, they searched for shoe prints, careful
to separate them from the marks left by first responders.
Detective Vega took notes while Larson examined the scene with
slow precision, pointing out details others might have missed. A
broken button on the floor, fibers caught on the edge
of the bed frame, and faint drag marks on the

(08:04):
carpet all hinted at the violent struggle that had taken place.
While the investigation was underway, the neighborhood buzzed with activity.
Residents peeked out from behind frosted windows as police cars
lined the quiet street. It was the kind of winter
day when most people stayed indoors, scrolling through news on
their phones or watching morning coverage of the World Economic
Forum in DeVos. Instead, this neighborhood was witnessing the start

(08:28):
of a homicide investigation. By noon, the Corona arrived to
remove Hannah's body, covering her with a white sheet before
placing her on a stretcher. The site left officers silent,
a grim reminder of the brutality they had just documented.
For detectives Larson and Vega, the task ahead was clear
fine who had done this and why. The first and

(08:49):
most obvious suspect in the death of Hannah Reids was
her husband, Ethan Reeves. At thirty two years old. Ethan
lived with Hannah in their small Fairbanks home and worked
part time as a man mechanic. He was known around
town as someone who could be charming when he wanted
to be, but those who knew him more closely often
saw a different side. Ethan had a long history of
gambling problems, owing money at local poker games and even

(09:13):
placing risky online bats during late night hours. His financial
troubles were an open secret. Ethan had a reputation for
telling tall stories to cover up his mistakes. Neighbors recalled
that he sometimes boasted about connections he didn't really have,
or about money that never materialized. In recent months, he
had been spreading rumors that the twins Hannah carried were

(09:33):
not his. He told people that an oilman passing through
town was the father, a claim that sounded outrageous but
hinted at the instability of his marriage. Some neighbors shrugged
it off his drunken talk, but detectives later recognized these
lies as important signs of his mindset. Police brought Ethan
in for questioning just hours after Hannah's body was found.
He arrived at the station wearing a stained Carhart jacket

(09:55):
and work boots, his hair uncombed, his breath carrying the
fame scent of alcohol. Detectives Michael Larson and Andrea Vega
began the interview in a small gray room inside the
Fairbanks Police Department. A tape recorder sat on the table,
capturing every word and movement. Ethan began by insisting he
had not been at home the night Hannah died. He

(10:17):
said he had spent the night drinking at a friend's house,
mentioning card games and whiskey bottles as proof. His story
included details about watching highlights from the NFL playoffs, which
were in full swing that month. He claimed the group
had followed the Dallas Cowboy's recent game against the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, where Tom Brady had been knocked out of
the postseason. But as Larsen and Vega pressed for times, locations,

(10:39):
and names, Ethan's story began to unravel. He shifted in
his chair, rubbed his hands together, and became increasingly defensive.
When asked about his marriage, his voice grew louder and sharper.
Instead of speaking with sadness about his wife's death, he
tried to deflect attention toward rumors of her supposed infidelity.
Detectives noted that Ethan struggled to a consistent timeline. At

(11:02):
one point, he said he had left his friend's house
before midnight. Later, he claimed he stayed past two in
the morning. The details of who else was present at
the gathering also changed as the interview went on. Detectives
recognized these inconsistencies as red flags. Behind the scenes, investigators
were already checking his story, they made calls to the
friend's house he mentioned, and compared Ethan's account with witness statements.

(11:25):
Early results showed gaps that Ethan could not explain. To
the detectives. Ethan appeared as a man cornered. He was
smooth when speaking in general terms, but the more specific
the questions became, the more his masks slipt. His body language,
his tone, and his shaky timeline all raised suspicions. By
the end of the interview, Larson and Vega believed that

(11:47):
Hannah's husband was hiding more than he admitted, and possibly
hiding the truth about the night his pregnant wife was killed.
After reviewing Ethan Reeve's shaky statements, detectives turned their attention
to another man whose name surfaced repeatedly during the early
stages of the investigation, Caleb Foster. Caleb was thirty four
years old and worked as a pipeline welder, a demanding

(12:09):
and physically exhausting job that kept him away from home
for long hours. He lived on the north side of
Fairbanks and a modest rental, known among coworkers for his
fiery temper, but also for his strong work ethic Caleb's
connection to the case came from Ethan himself. Months earlier,
Ethan had spread rumors that Caleb was the secret father
of Hannah's unborn twins. At first glance, this suggested a

(12:32):
potential motive. If Caleb had truly been involved with Hannah,
it could have created jealousy or conflict. But when investigators
sat down with Caleb, the story took a very different turn.
In a series of tense interviews inside the Fairbanks Police Department,
Caleb firmly denied any romantic relationship with Hannah. Instead, he

(12:53):
revealed something investigators had not expected. He had been romantically
involved with Ethan. Their affair, according to kauallp, had gone
on for nearly a year before ending badly. The breakup,
he explained, came after a bitter falling out over money
and jealousy. Caleb accused Ethan of lying to him about
debts and manipulating his emotions. Detectives quickly recognized the significance

(13:15):
of this revelation. It reframed the tangled relationships surrounding the
Reed's household. Caleb's anger was directed squarely at Ethan, not
at Hannah. During questioning, Caleb's fiery personality came through. He
leaned forward across the table, speaking with intensity, often clenching
his fists as he described his resentment. He admitted that
he despised Ethan's lives, but insisted he had no reason

(13:38):
to harm Hannah, who he said had never been part
of their personal conflict. While Caleb's emotions ran high, his
alibi appeared strong. On the night of January seventeen, leading
into the early hours of January eighteen, Caleb had been
assigned to an overnight welding shift along the Trans Alaska pipeline.
Records from his employer confirmed his time card and coworkers

(13:58):
vouched for his presence. Even the security logs at the
job site, which tracked check ins and safety rounds, placed
him there during the critical hours when Hannah was killed.
Detectives dug deeper, checking for inconsistencies. They pulled phone records
which showed Caleb's cell phone pinging towers near the pipeline site,
not near the Reed's home. They also interviewed his supervisor,

(14:19):
who recalled Caleb talking about the cold weather that night.
Fairbanks had seen temperatures plunge well below zero, conditions that
made pipeline work slow and dangerous. The details lined up
with Caleb's story. Meanwhile, investigators considered the broader picture. Caleb's
revelation about his romantic history with Ethan painted Ethan in
an even more troubling light. It suggested that Ethan was

(14:42):
juggling multiple secrets and lies, spreading rumors about Hannah to
cover his own behavior. Caleb, on the other hand, seemed
focused only on distancing himself from the murder. By the
end of their review, detectives believe Caleb had no direct
role in Hannah's death. His alibi was solid, his timeline clear.
While his connection to Ethan added new complexity to the case,

(15:03):
it did not make him the killer. Instead, his statements
pointed investigators back to Ethan and the dangerous web of
lies he had spun. On January twenty five, twenty twenty three,
the investigation into the death of Hannah Reid's took a
sharp and unexpected turn. The winter sky over Fairbanks was
heavy and gray, and light snow drifted down onto frozen roads.

(15:25):
Inside the police department, detectives Michael Larson and Andrea Vega
gathered around a small table as the medical Examiner's DNA
test results arrived. The report revealed a stunning discovery. The
biological father of Hannah's unborn twins was neither her husband,
Ithan Reeds nor Caleb Foster, the pipeline welder accused by
Ethan of being involved with Hannah. Instead, the DNA pointed

(15:49):
directly to doctor Daniel Choe, a respected physician in Fairbanks
and the husband of local dentists doctor Marissa cho. The
findings sent shockwaves through the investigative team. For more more
than a week, detectives had worked under the belief that
Hannah's murder was the tragic result of a collapsing marriage
in Ethan's Dangerous Secrets. Now the evidence pointed to a

(16:09):
far more complicated story, one that involved another family Entirely,
detectives pieced together what the DNA results suggested. Hannah, already
troubled by suspicions of Ethan's infidelity, had quietly sought comfort
in Daniel Chow months earlier. The affair had been hidden
from nearly everyone. On the surface, Hannah had appeared to

(16:29):
be focused on her pregnancy, knitting baby clothes during her
lunch breaks and playing a baby shower with coworkers, But
privately she had formed a connection with Daniel, a man
married to someone else. The discovery reframed the entire case.
What began as an apparent act of domestic violence inside
a troubled marriage now looked like part of a larger
web of betrayals. With Daniel as the father of the

(16:51):
unborn twins, questions arose about who knew the truth and
who might have had a reason to silence Hannah. The
detectives were careful in their response. They contacted the Chows
requesting interviews. Marissa cho was already on their radar because
of her own hidden relationship with Athan Reeves, and now
the DNA tied her household directly to Hannah's pregnancy. For investigators,

(17:13):
it was as if two separate storylines had suddenly collided
in the most shocking way possible. Meanwhile, the community of
Fairbanks was buzzing with speculation. In January twenty twenty three,
national headlines focused on the war in Ukraine, the latest
tech layoffs from companies like Google, and debates over gas prices. Locally, however,

(17:33):
residents were glued to nudes about Hannah's case. The revelation
that a well known doctor was connected to the victim's
pregnancy spread quickly in conversations at grocery stores, coffee shops,
and on Facebook community groups. For detectives Larsen and Vega,
the DNA twist was both a breakthrough and a burden.
It gave them a clear picture of Hannah's private life,

(17:55):
but it also expanded the list of suspects and motives.
What had started as an investigation into a violent husband
was now a tangle of affairs, secrets, and lies that
reached far beyond the walls of the Reeds small Fairbanks home.
As the investigation widened, the attention soon turned to doctor
Marissa Choe, a forty year old dentist who had long
been considered a trusted figure in the Fairbanks community. On

(18:18):
the surface, she was known for her bright smile, precise work,
and calm demeanor inside her dental office, where she treated
patients ranging from school children to retirees. Her clinic had
good reviews on Google, and many locals mentioned her name
on neighborhood Facebook groups when someone asked for a reliable dentist.
Behind the professional image, however, detectives began uncovering troubling details.

(18:40):
Marissa was married to doctor Daniel Choe, a respected physician,
and together they lived in a comfortable home on the
west side of town with their two young children. They
attended community events, shopped at fred Meyer for groceries, and
vacationed in Hawaii when schedules allowed. Yet, investigators learned that
Marissa was hiding secrets that played easter far from the

(19:01):
image of a successful professional and loving mother. Phone records
and financial documents pointed to her involvement in a drug
trafficking network that moved prescription painkillers and other narcotics through Alaska.
The opioid crisis had been worsening across the state, and
police had long suspected that even respective professionals were helping
funnel pills into illegal markets. Marissa's name, once considered untouchable,

(19:25):
now surfaced in connection to this shadowy trade. Detectives were
equally stunned to find that Marissa had also been carrying
on a romantic relationship with Ethan Reeve's Hannah's husband. Text
messages recovered from Ethan's phone painted a troubling picture. While
many messages appeared flirtatious, others contained coded discussions that suggested
deeper motors. Phrases about removing obstacles and starting fresh. Hinted

(19:49):
at conversations that may have included plans to eliminate Hannah
from Bethan's life. When Marissa was brought in for questioning
at the Fairbanks Police Department, her behaviors stood in contrast
other suspects. She did not appear frantic or defensive. Instead,
she remained calm, her tone steady, and her posture almost clinical,
as if she were still in her dental chair speaking

(20:10):
to a patient. Detectives Michael Larson and Andrea Vega pressed
her about her relationship with Ethan and about the messages
found on her phone. Marissa denied any direct role in
Hannah's death. She admitted that she had grown close to Ethan,
but she insisted that her conversations about obstacles had been misunderstood. Still,
detectives sensed that she was carefully controlling what she revealed.

(20:32):
Vega noted the way Marissa avoided answering certain questions directly
steering the conversation back to her professional responsibilities or her
role as a mother. The possibility that Marissa may have
pressured Ethan to take violent action against his wife quickly
became a working theory for investigators. If she was willing
to risk her career in marriage, through an affair and
possibly through criminal drug activity, detectives reasoned she might also

(20:56):
have been capable of manipulating Ethan into removing Hannah from
the picture. Meanwhile, the community watched developments closely. In January
twenty twenty three, residents were already unsettled by rising crime rates,
extreme cold weather, and headlines about tech layoffs and inflation.
The revelation that a well known dentist, someone families had

(21:16):
trusted with their health, was being investigated for both drug
trafficking and a possible connection to murder shocked even long
time Alaskans. For detectives, Marissa Schow was no longer just
a respected professional. She was now a prime suspect in
a case that was expanding into one of the most
tangled and disturbing criminal investigations Fairbanks had seen in years.
By the start of February twenty twenty three, weeks of

(21:39):
investigation had pulled detectives through a maze of secrets, affairs,
and hidden motives. After reviewing DNA results, text messages, financial records,
and witness statements, investigators finally reached a conclusion. On February two,
twenty twenty three, police determined that Hannah's husband, thirty two
year old Ifan Reeves, was the one responsible for her

(22:01):
violent death. Detectives believe the killing happened late at night
inside the couple's small home, a modest, single story house
not far from downtown Fairbanks. According to the timeline pieced
together by authorities, Ethan returned home after drinking heavily. Facing
mounting financial troubles, strained relationships, and pressure from his affair
with doctor Marissa Cho his behavior spiraled out of control.

(22:24):
In addition, ongoing hostility with former friend Caleb Foster Wade
on him. Investigators concluded that in a drunken rage, Ethan
turned his anger on hannaht as she lay in bed,
resulting in a brutal attack that ended both her life
and the lives of her unborn twins. Police moved swiftly
to arrest him. On the morning of February two, officers

(22:45):
located Ethan at his workplace, a small auto repair shop
where he worked part time as a mechanic. The shop
normally filled with the sounds of wrenches, air compressors, and
radio's tuned to country music. Suddenly became the scene of
a high stakes arrest. Customers waiting for oil changes and
tire rotations watched in disbelief as squad cars pulled up outside.

(23:07):
Officers entered the garage, placed Athen in handcuffs and escorted
him past shelled stocked with motor oil and stacks of
Goodyear tires. Witnesses recalled the moment as surreal. Ethan looked
shocked at first, then quickly broke down. Once in custody,
he muttered about not remembering the attack, though detectives viewed
this as an attempt to shift blame away from himself.

(23:27):
The police transported him to the Fairbanks Correctional Center, where
he was booked on charges of murder. News of the
arrests spread quickly across Alaska. By that evening, local outlets
such as the Fairbanks Daily News, Miner, and regional television
stations were running breaking news segments. On social media, residents
shared links and voiced their outrage. The story stood out

(23:48):
during a month already filled with headlines about extreme cold temperatures,
power outages, and rising egg prices caused by supply chain shortages.
In early twenty twenty three, for Hannah's family, the arrest
brought a complicated sense of relief. They had endured weeks
of uncertainty waiting for answers about who had taken her life.
The revelation that it was her own husband cut deeply.

(24:10):
Family members struggled to process the betrayal, mourning not only
Hannah and her unborn twins, but also the trust they
had once placed in Ethan. Detectives emphasized that the case
had exposed more than just a single act of violence.
It had uncovered a network of lies, affairs, and criminal
dealings that stretched far beyond one marriage. Still with ethnine custody,

(24:30):
police believed they had found the person directly responsible for
the murder that had shaken Fairbanks. In August twenty twenty four,
more than a year after the death of Hannah Reeves,
the case that had haunted Fairbanks reached its conclusion in
a crowded Alaskan courtroom. The trial of thirty two year
old Ethan Reeves drew significant local and national attention, with

(24:51):
reporters from Antridge, Seattle, and even national outlets stated in
the gallery. By then, public interest in crime stories had
been heightened by the popularity of true crime podcasts, streaming documentaries,
and viral TikTok clips breaking down courtroom moments. The trial
opened in early August at the Fairbanks Superior Court. The
state's case was led by prosecutor Jennifer Morales, forty six,

(25:13):
who had over two decades of experience handling violent crime cases.
Morales presented Ethan as a manipulative husband who was driven
by jealousy, debt, and the pressures of his affair with
doctor Marissa Cho. She reminded jurors of the brutality of
the crime scene, Hannah beaten in her own bed, her
ribs shattered, and her unborn twins' lives lost in the

(25:34):
same moment. She also highlighted Ethan's history of gambling and lying,
painting a picture of a man who had spiraled into desperation.
The defense, led by fifty five year old attorney Mark Douglass,
focused on portraying Athan as a broken man rather than
a calculating killer. Douglass argued that his client had been intoxicated,
fueled by whisky and emotional turmoil, and that the killing

(25:57):
was not premeditated. He leaned heavy on the idea that
Ethan acted in a fit of rage, rather than planning
the crime. Inside the courtroom, the tension was heavy. Each day.
Hannah's parents and siblings sat in the front row, often
joined by neighbors and friends who had followed the case
since its shocking beginning. Local TV stations broadcast updates each evening,

(26:17):
with coverage airing alongside stories about summer wildfires across Alaska,
gas prices hovering near four dollars and twenty cents a gallon,
and the buzz of the upcoming college football season. Jurors
listened closely to the testimony, which included forensic experts, police detectives,
and even former friends of Ethan who described as unstable

(26:38):
behavior in the weeks before Hannah's death. Evidence, including text
messages between Ethan and Marissa about removing obstacles, was displayed
on large monitors in the courtroom. After closing arguments, the
jury deliberated for two full days. On August sixteen, twenty
twenty four, they returned to the courtroom and delivered their decision.

(26:58):
Ethan Reeves was found guilty of first degree murdered and
two counts of fetal homicide. Gasps filled the room as
the verdict was read. Morales looked steady and composed, while
Douglas placed a hand on his client's shoulder as Ethan
lowered his head. Judge Harold Kim then handed down the
sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole. The

(27:19):
sentence reflected not only the crime itself, but also the
broader harm inflicted on the community. Hannah's parents wept openly,
clutching tissues as they held hands. Other family members embraced
in silence. Overwhelmed by grief and a small measure of closure,
Ethan sat motionless, his eyes fixed on the courtroom floor.
His expression betrayed little emotion, but the weight of his

(27:40):
new reality was clear. The man once seen as a
charismatic mechanic was now destined to spend the rest of
his life behind prison walls. By late August twenty twenty four,
the courtroom battles had ended, but the effects of Hannah
Reeves's death continued to ripple through Fairbanks. Her family, determined
to keep her spirit alive, focused on building something positive

(28:01):
from their grief, They partnered with the Newelwian Public Library
to launch a children's reading program in Hannah's honor. Bright
posters featuring animals and storybook characters were placed around the library,
and volunteers read books to kids each week. The program
quickly became a community fixture, especially during the last weeks
of summer when many families were preparing for the new

(28:23):
school year. Parents dropping off their children often mentioned that
Hannah had loved books and dreamed of being a teacher. Meanwhile,
Caleb Foster, who had once been caught in the web
of accusations, tried to move forward quietly. He returned to
his job as a pipeline well the taking long shifts
along the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Friends said he avoided downtown

(28:43):
Fairbanks and rarely stopped at his old hangouts like the
Big I Pub or the Bowling Alley on Second Avenue.
Gossip in a small city travels fast, and Caleb chose
to stay out of it. The fallout also hit the
Cho family. Doctor Marissa Cho, once respected as a skilled
dentist with or practice near Airport Way, found herself under scrutiny.
Although investigators never charged her with crimes related to the murder,

(29:07):
her private life was exposed. The revelation of her affair
with Ethan Rees and the involvement of her husband, doctor
Daniel Cho, as the biological father of Hannah's twins, shattered
her reputation. By August, her marriage had collapsed, and neighbors
noticed a for sale sign in front of the show home.
Patients began seeking dental care at other clinics, and whispers

(29:29):
followed her wherever she went. Detectives Michael Larson and Andrea Vega,
who had led the case from its first night, later
acknowledged it as one of the most disturbing investigations of
their careers. Even after the verdict, they spent weeks preparing
reports in answering media questions from outlets that had covered
the trial. Their works stood as a reminder of the
grim realities behind true crime headlines that people often scrolled

(29:52):
past on Facebook or discussed in podcasts. For the wider
Fairbanks community, Hannah's death became a cautionary tale. Churches held wiggles,
schools offered counseling, and community groups encouraged residents to speak
openly about domestic violence and hidden abuse. While life in
town returned to its routines, fall sports practices, tourists stopping

(30:13):
by Pioneer Park, and students filling classrooms again, the memory
of the case lingered. It was a sharp reminder that secrets, betrayals,
and unchecked anger could devastate not only a family, but
an entire city.