Serial killer William Reece now in Oklahoma to face his death sentence

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 12, 2026) – William Lewis Reece, a convicted serial rapist and murderer, has returned to Oklahoma, where he now awaits execution at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester. Reece, 63, was in Texas serving life sentences for three murders.

In 2021, Reece was convicted and sentenced to death by an Oklahoma County jury for the murder of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston in July 1997. Reece abducted Johnston from a car wash in Bethany, sexually assaulted and killed her, then dumped her body in a remote location west of Yukon.

The case remained unsolved for nearly two decades until 2016, when Reece confessed to killing Johnston during interviews with a Texas Ranger about murdering and sexually assaulting young women in Oklahoma and Texas. DNA evidence from Johnston’s body confirmed Reece's confession.

After his conviction and death sentence in Oklahoma, Reece returned to Texas in 2022, where he pled guilty to the murders of 12-year-old Laura Smither, 17-year-old Jessica Cain and 20-year-old Kelli Cox. He received life sentences for all three murders. 

“This predator has left a trail of devastated families across two states. Tiffany Johnston was a young bride with her whole life ahead of her when he violently ended it,” said Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “I am grateful to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for its work to bring back this predator so he can face the punishment a jury determined he deserves.” 

Reece is currently exhausting the appeals of his death sentence. The Attorney General’s Office will vigorously oppose all appeals and will request an execution date at the conclusion of Reece's appeals.