If you lived in Colorado Springs during the early '90s, the name Brian Hood carries a specific kind of weight. It’s not just a name from a court docket. For locals, it represents one of the most chilling, "truth is stranger than fiction" cases to ever hit the Pikes Peak region. Most people call it the "Fatal Attraction" murder. Honestly, that Hollywood label almost does a disservice to how messy and manipulative the reality actually was.
It’s been decades since Brian Hood and his lover, Jennifer Reali, dominated the headlines. But with recent parole updates and the passing of some key figures in the case, people are starting to ask: what actually happened? And where is Brian Hood now?
The Crime That Shook the Springs
September 12, 1990. It was a Wednesday.
Dianne Hood, a mother of three and a woman struggling with lupus, was leaving a support group meeting at a local community center. She didn't make it to her car. Out of the shadows stepped a figure in a ski mask and bulky clothes. Two shots were fired.
The shooter took her purse, making it look like a botched robbery. But the police in Colorado Springs weren't buying it for long. The "robber" was actually Jennifer Reali, a woman Brian Hood was having an affair with.
People often think this was just a case of a jealous mistress going rogue. It wasn't. The evidence—and Reali’s own eventual confession—painted a much darker picture of Brian Hood. He didn't just know about the plan. He basically authored it. He was the one who allegedly told Reali that divorce wasn't an option because of his religious beliefs. According to court records, he convinced her that killing Dianne was actually "God’s will."
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Think about that for a second. Using faith to talk someone into murder. It’s a level of manipulation that still makes people in this city shiver.
The Trial and the 37-Year Sentence
When the hammer finally came down, the legal results were a bit of a mixed bag, which still frustrates some who followed the case. Jennifer Reali was convicted of first-degree murder. She got life.
Brian Hood? His legal path was different.
In 1992, a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and two counts of criminal solicitation. They actually acquitted him on the top charge of first-degree murder. Why? Because while he planned it and provided the mask and the gun, he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger.
He was sentenced to 37 years.
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For a long time, Brian Hood was just a number in the Colorado Department of Corrections. He even made headlines again in 1997 for a brief, failed escape attempt from a facility in Cañon City. It’s like he couldn't stay out of the spotlight even when he was behind bars.
Where is Brian Hood Now?
This is the part that gets people talking in 2026. Brian Hood isn't the same man who stood in that courtroom in the '90s, at least not in the eyes of the law.
In March 2019, Brian Hood was granted parole.
He had served roughly 27 years of his 37-year sentence. For many in Colorado Springs, especially those who remember Dianne’s three children—who had to grow up without a mother because of their father’s "plan"—this was a bitter pill to swallow.
Jennifer Reali, the woman who actually fired the shots, had her sentence commuted by Governor Bill Ritter years earlier. She was released to a halfway house in 2014 and eventually granted parole. She died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, just a few months after being fully freed.
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Brian Hood, meanwhile, has largely vanished into a quiet, post-prison life. There are no high-profile interviews. No "tell-all" books. Just a man in his late 60s or early 70s living out the remainder of his life under the supervision of the parole board.
Why the Case Still Matters
You might wonder why we’re still talking about Brian Hood in Colorado Springs.
It’s because the case changed how the local community looked at "domestic" violence and the psychological power of manipulation. It wasn't just a murder; it was a betrayal of every possible trust. A husband. A father. A member of the community.
He used the guise of being a "good, religious man" to shield himself while he set a deadly wheels in motion.
Actionable Takeaways from the Hood Legacy
If there is anything to learn from the dark history of Brian Hood and the tragedy of Dianne Hood, it’s about awareness and the reality of coercive control.
- Understand Coercive Control: Manipulation often starts long before a physical crime occurs. The way Brian Hood allegedly isolated and brainwashed Jennifer Reali is a textbook study in psychological abuse.
- Support Local Resources: Colorado Springs has grown immensely since 1990. Organizations like TESSA provide critical support for those in domestic situations that feel "inescapable."
- Check the Facts: When you hear "Fatal Attraction," remember that these are real people, not movie characters. Dianne Hood was a real woman with a real life that was cut short.
The story of Brian Hood in Colorado Springs is a reminder that the most dangerous people aren't always the ones holding the gun. Sometimes, they're the ones whispering in the ear of the person who is. While the legal chapters are mostly closed, the impact on the families involved is a permanent fixture of the city's history.
To stay informed on local cold cases or updates on historical Colorado Springs legal matters, you can monitor the Colorado Department of Corrections public inmate search or follow the local archives at the Pikes Peak Library District, which maintains extensive records on the 1990 trial.