Repeat Offender: The Abduction and Murder of Reagan Tokes
In the Dead of Night
In the winter of 2017, twenty-one-year-old Reagan Tokes was at the jumping off point of the rest of her life. Only months away from graduating from Ohio State University with a degree in psychology, she already had a job lined up at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic. With the ultimate goal of opening her own practice, the young go-getter was preparing to take the world by storm. Sadly, owing to circumstances beyond her control, she would never get the chance.
On February 2, Reagan finished up her shift at Columbus’ trendy Bodega bar and restaurant at around 9:45 p.m. Although she normally had one of her male coworkers walk her to her car, on this occasion, business had been hopping, forcing her to make the short trek on her own.
Over a thousand miles away, Reagan’s father, Toby, was awaiting word from his daughter that she had made it back to her off-campus apartment safe and sound. Having spoken to her shortly before she left work, he had expected her to call at any moment, which she did every night like clockwork.
As the minutes turned into hours without any word from Reagan, her parents grew increasingly concerned. Even so, hoping that their daughter had simply lost track of time, they left several messages on her voicemail urging her to get in touch with them as soon as possible. With nothing left to do, they had spent a restless night anticipating a call that would never come.
In the morning, Reagan’s parents, along with her younger sister Makenzie, had checked their phones immediately upon awakening. Their collective hearts sank when they saw that no communications from Reagan had come through during the night.
Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Reagan’s mother, Lisa, had called Columbus police to report her daughter missing. While the officer she spoke to was sympathetic to her plight, he informed her that only those who last had last seen the person in question could file the report.
During the same time frame, Reagan’s roommates were discovering that her bed hadn’t been slept in. When she failed to show up for class, which was unheard of, they called the Bodega to see if her coworkers had an idea of where she might have gone after work. When no one could account for her whereabouts, her employer filed a missing person report with authorities.
Missing No More
Before the ink was dry on the official paperwork, an early morning visitor to Scioto Grove Metro Park in Grove City, fifteen minutes outside of Columbus, placed a call to 911, informing them that he had made a horrific discovery. Discarded in the weeds near a walking path, lay the body of a young woman who had obviously met with foul play.
After rushing to the scene, authorities determined that the victim, who was wearing only a necklace, had been shot twice — once in the back of the head and once in the face. A rape kit that was performed later that day found that she had been sexually assaulted prior to death.
Aware that a local college student had vanished the night before, detectives had quickly put two and two together. While they were fairly certain that they had found Reagan Tokes, they needed someone close to her to make it official. Since her parents weren’t available, her uncle agreed to identify the body. With a heavy heart, he confirmed that the victim found in the park was his missing niece.
To Catch a Predator
Determined to find Reagan’s killer, detectives headed to the Bodega in a bid to retrace her steps on what had turned out to be the last night of her life. Security footage taken from inside the establishment showed her going out the door right on schedule. She was alone and there were no indications that she was being followed. Unfortunately, since no outside cameras were in use, what happened after that was a mystery. Her Acura TL was also missing, indicating that she had left the premises, either alone or accompanied by an unknown party.
Upon learning that Reagan had recently broken up with her boyfriend, Jake, investigators made arrangements for him to come in for an interview. While it was common knowledge among those in the couple’s inner circle that the split had been mutual and they had remained on good terms, detectives weren’t so sure.
Although it may have been perfectly innocent, a post Jake had uploaded on one of his social media accounts following news of his ex-girlfriend’s untimely death had sent up red flags. In the message he had penned to Reagan, he mentioned that she was “in a better place,” which investigators felt was an odd thing to say about someone who had been brutally murdered.
When confronted about his curious take on the situation, Jake explained that, while he was shocked and devastated by Reagan’s sudden death, he had found some comfort in the thought that she was no longer afraid or suffering and hoped that their mutual friends would do the same. According to him, there had been no dark undertones or sinister meaning. He was merely trying to find a way to feel better in some small way.
Despite their misgivings about Jake, detectives ruled him out as a person of interest when his alibi checked out. At the end of the day, he was exactly what he proclaimed himself to be: someone who had experienced a terrible loss and was dealing with it as best they could.
A Fortuitous Find
In a stroke of luck, a license plate sensor attached to a privately owned garbage truck identified Reagan’s car, which had been parked on a residential street along their route. When investigators raced to the scene, they discovered the Acura, reeking of gasoline and littered with cigarette butts. Burn marks that were evident on the seats indicated that someone had tried — and failed — to set the vehicle ablaze. The gas can had been left behind, along with several ATM receipts, all dated for the night of the murder.
After confirming with her family that Reagan didn’t smoke, the remnants were submitted for DNA testing. A scant few hours later, the source of the biological material found on the cigarette butts was pinpointed. The person who had smoked up a storm inside the Acura was a career criminal with a history of sex crimes named Brian Golsby.
Crime and Crime Again
On February 11, two days after Reagan’s body was found, twenty-nine-year-old Golsby was arrested and brought in for questioning. He hadn’t been hard to find, having been released to a halfway house after serving a six-year prison stint, he was still technically under court ordered supervision.
The crime that had put him away — albeit not for long — had involved the abduction and rape of a woman at knifepoint. In November of 2010, he had snuck up on the victim as she was loading her two-year-old son into a car seat in a store parking lot. Holding the blade to her throat, Golsby had threatened to kill her and her child if she didn’t cooperate. Eight months pregnant at the time, she had given in to his demands.
When he was finished, Golsby had forced his victim to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash. Enjoying his control over her, he had ordered the woman to drive to her house, where he invited himself in. After raping her once again, he had stolen a DVD player before fleeing into the night.
Although the victim wasted no time reporting the assault to police, when the court date rolled around, she refused to testify. Fearing what would happen to her and her children if she took the stand against her attacker, she opted out of the proceedings. While the case could still move forward based on the physical evidence at their disposal, the state hedged their bets by offering Golsby a plea deal he couldn’t refuse.
In May of 2011, the defendant pleaded guilty to attempted rape and robbery and received two six-year sentences to be served concurrently, meaning at the same time. Five and a half years later, in November of 2016, he walked out of prison and into a halfway house. Three months later, he went looking for another victim, only this time, he made certain that she wouldn’t live to tell.
When police picked up Golsby, he was still wearing the GPS tracking bracelet issued to him by the Department of Corrections as part of his early release. While the device was intended to monitor his comings and goings, it was later learned that no one — not his parole officer or the supervisors at the halfway house — were keeping tabs on his whereabouts. With free rein to do as he pleased, the convicted sex offender had taken full advantage of the freedom he neither earned nor deserved.
While the bracelet had done nothing to deter Golsby’s criminal activity, it had allowed authorities to track his movements on the night of the murder. The tracker revealed that, not only was he in the vicinity of the Bodega at the time that Reagan was getting off work, but he was also in Scioto Park hours later when she was killed.
At the start of his police interrogation, Golsby denied knowing anything about the case. When he was informed that DNA evidence linking him to the victim had been found, via the cigarette butts and results of the rape kit, he changed his story. Amending his account, he admitted to the abduction and sexual assault, but insisted that he had dropped Reagan off in the park, shaken, but very much alive.
Acting on a hunch, detectives suggested that perhaps he was protecting a third party who was somehow involved in the killing. Falling headfirst into their trap, the easily led suspect suddenly recalled that his friend “TJ” had been present for most of the ordeal. An innocent bystander, Golsby claimed that he had watched helplessly as his buddy marched the pretty brunette into the darkness and fired two shots into her head.
Sensing that they were getting closer to the truth by the minute, his interrogators pushed Golsby to come clean while he still could. Realizing that he had stepped in it, the suspect relented, telling them that he would give them what they wanted, but that he would need two hamburgers before getting down to business.
Once his appetite was sated, Golsby confessed to the rape and murder of Reagan Tokes. The story he told was a chilling one indeed. He recalled being antsy that evening, so much so that he had gotten on a city bus and headed into the heart of Columbus looking for someone to rob, maybe more, depending on his mood. When he saw Reagan leaving the Bodega, he knew what he had to do.
Cornering her as she was getting into her car, he had demanded at knifepoint that she drive him to an ATM and withdraw $500. To calm the clearly terrified young woman, he had assured her that he only wanted the money and would let her go once the transaction was complete.
Knowing that resistance was futile, Reagan had done as she was told. Unfortunately, things went awry when the sizable withdrawal was denied at first one, then another ATM.
Determined to get something for his trouble, Golsby had ordered Reagan to park in an alley where he forced her to perform oral sex. The time was 10:16 p.m., a mere half hour after she left the Bodega.
Still in need of a payday, Golsby had told Reagan to try yet another ATM. After successfully withdrawing $60 and handing it over to her captor, she had hoped he would be true to his word and let her go, something he had no intention of doing.
At 11:41, CCTV footage taken at a gas station showed Reagan’s car pulling up to the pumps. It is presumed that the next stop was Scioto Grove Metro Park, the site of the murder.
Upon arriving at the park, which was deserted due to the late hour, Golsby had ordered Reagan to take off her clothes and start walking. Though she must have known what was coming, with a gun barrel only inches from her head, she had stepped barefoot into the frigid cold. Moments later, shots rang out. According to her killer, the last words she had spoken in this life were “I just want to live.”
When he was certain that Reagan was dead, Golsby had fled the scene, tossing the murder weapon into a storm drain. Investigators would subsequently retrieve the gun, with the help of the man who had so callously pulled the trigger.
A calculating killer with a heart of stone, on the heels of the murder, Golsby had driven to his girlfriend’s apartment, where he gifted her Reagan’s designer handbag and wallet. The couple had then gone out for burgers at a fast-food restaurant. Although it was 1:45 in the morning, and the halfway house had a 10:00 p.m. curfew, not a soul had reported his absence to the proper authorities.
Once their night on the town was through, Golsby dropped off his girlfriend, who had no idea that she was in the possession of a dead woman’s belongings, before continuing on his way. As dawn loomed on the horizon, he purchased a gas can and fuel with the intention of burning the Acura and any evidence it might hold.
When his efforts failed, he abandoned the vehicle near his girlfriend’s apartment and walked away as if nothing had happened. With no chance of Reagan turning him in, he assumed he was in the clear. It was only when detectives came calling that he knew he had slipped up.
Golsby was charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping, rape, tampering with evidence and possession of a deadly weapon. Seven counts of robbery perpetrated upon victims he had terrorized in the days leading up to the murder were also included in the indictment.
Investigators determined that Golsby, and a masked assailant who had been pistol-whipping and robbing pedestrians in the area of Columbus/Grove City in recent weeks, were one and the same. The victims, all of whom were women, reported that they had been targeted while outside alone. Several had been beaten about the head when they failed to comply with the perpetrator’s demands in a timely fashion.
Ironically, Reagan had been aware of the masked bandit and had even spoken to her father about the rash of robberies. Fearing for her safety, he had urged her to be extra careful, especially when she got off work. Though she had looked out for herself as best she could, she had fallen victim to a predator she hadn’t seen coming.
A look into Golsby’s criminal past revealed that he had been in trouble with the law for most of his life. His juvenile record, which was a mile long, included charges of menacing, robbery and the rapes of two children under the age of seven.
Reagan’s family were shocked to learn that her killer had been written up a staggering fifty-two times for infractions committed while he was serving time for raping a pregnant woman. The laundry list of offenses had included stealing, fighting and insubordination. Thanks to flaws in the system, which allowed inmates to act with impunity while incarcerated, Golsby faced no threat of punishment for his actions. Likewise, his anti-social behavior and inability to conform had no bearing on his bid for early release.
Golsby proved to be such a headache for prison officials that he had been shuttled off to no less than five facilities during as many years. The fact that the prison system couldn’t handle him makes it all the more puzzling that they decided to return him to society as soon as the opportunity arose.
In a terrible bit of timing, Golsby had been scheduled to appear in court on February 23, three weeks after the murder, to answer for the numerous robberies he had committed while on parole. If the justice system had worked as it should, he would have been returned to prison immediately, instead of being allowed to walk the streets until a hearing could be held. As a result of this glaring procedural error, an innocent woman was subjected to a nightmare from which she would never awaken.
Justice is Blind
Golsby’s trial kicked off on March 5, 2018. His former girlfriend, the one he spent time with on the night of the murder, testified against him. Another woman, who was the mother of his child, also took the stand to say that he had confided details of the killing to her before his arrest.
Over the course of the proceedings, the DNA evidence taken from the car, the rape kit, and the cigarette butts — all of which belonged to Golsby — was presented to the jury, as was his confession.
Golsby’s defense team contended that their client had been sexually abused as a child, forever damaging his psyche. Even though they had only the word of a habitual liar to go on, the judge had mistakenly informed the jury that the defense was under no obligation to prove the allegations to be true. This oversight would allow the panel to take the molestation claims into consideration when rendering their verdict. This, despite the fact that he never told the story the same way twice, often changing the age he had been at the time of the alleged assaults.
On March 13, which would have been Reagan’s twenty-third birthday, the jury found Golsby guilty on all counts. A week later, on their recommendation, he was sentenced to life in prison. Although the death penalty had been an option, four of the twelve jurors had voted against the measure. It appeared as though the defense’s tactic of painting him as a victim in his own right had worked like a charm.
Today, Golsby is being housed at Ohio State Penitentiary, a maximum-security facility where the worst of the worst are locked away in a bid to keep law abiding citizens, like Reagan Tokes, safe.
In a surprising move, in the aftermath of the verdict, the prosecution filed a cross appeal to have the sentence amended to death. Pointing to the poor instructions given to the jury, they hoped to have a higher court correct what they believed to be an injustice. While their attempts ultimately failed, their dedication in wanting Reagan’s killer, who has never shown an ounce of remorse for his actions, to pay the ultimate price for taking her life was commendable.
A System in Need of Change
Outraged by the cracks in the system that Golsby had slipped through time and again, Reagan’s family sued NISRE Inc, the company tasked with overseeing the halfway house where he was living at the time of the murder, for negligence in allowing him to wander freely with little or no supervision. They also filed suit against the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) for releasing a clearly dangerous criminal back into society despite his inability to abide by the law, even while in prison.
The courts eventually dismissed the case against the ODRC, while allowing the complaint against NISRE to proceed. The suit ended up being settled out of court in 2020, the terms of which were not made public.
In the hopes of preventing future tragedies like the one that had forever altered the course of their lives, Reagan’s family rallied Ohio lawmakers to pass the Reagan Tokes Act, which gives officials the power to extend the stays of prisoners who exhibit behaviors that would make them an immediate threat to society. Though an inmate couldn’t be held past a certain point, this bit of legal leeway would prevent violent offenders who showed no signs of having been rehabilitated from being granted early release. Ohio Senate Bill 201, aka the Reagan Tokes Act, passed in 2019.
Gone, but Never Forgotten
On June 5, 2019, a memorial was unveiled to the public on the grounds of Scioto Grove Metro Park. Dubbed “Tranquility Garden,” the expansive display boasts swings, a pond where wildlife frolic, a variety of plants and rest areas. From overhead, the site bears a striking resemblance to an angel taking flight.
Gifted both athletically and academically, Reagan Tokes had been on a stairway to the stars when she encountered an evil she hadn’t known existed. Although she had done everything her killer asked of her, it had all been for naught. Golsby had known from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was going to die, and nothing she could have said or done would have made any difference.
The success she had worked so hard to achieve was something her executioner knew nothing about. A career criminal who treated prison like a minor inconvenience, his victims were simply a means to an end and nothing more.
Golsby had taken Reagan’s life and gone out for hamburgers afterwards. Even so, when he was facing a possible death sentence, he had pulled out all the stops to save his own skin. It was clear to everyone in the courtroom that, as far as he was concerned, only his life had meaning.
When all was said and done, Golsby had crossed paths with a bright light he knew he could never be and — motivated by his own selfish needs — had extinguished it forever, leaving behind a void that can never be filled.
Resources:
·dispatch.com
·nbcnews.com
·Murdered at First Sight
·supremecourt.ohio.gov
·10tv.com
·reddit.com
·ohiocapitaljournal.com
·dailymail.co.uk
Images used under provisions of the Fair Use Act for purposes of reporting and education.