In 2006, the tiny town of Murdock, Nebraska, had a population of barely 200 people. It’s the kind of place where people don’t just know their neighbors; they know their neighbors' grandparents. So, when Wayne and Sharmon Stock were found murdered in their farmhouse on Easter Monday, the local psyche didn't just crack—it shattered.
For months, the police were convinced the killers were family. They arrested the Stocks' nephew, Matt Livers, and his cousin Nick Sampson. They even got a "confession" out of Livers after hours of high-pressure interrogation.
The real story was much weirder. And much more terrifying.
It wasn't a family feud or a local grudge. The actual killers were two teenagers from Wisconsin named Greg Fester and Jessica Reid. They weren't master criminals. They were just two kids on a drug-fueled road trip to nowhere who decided to kill for the "thrill" of it.
The Ring that Broke the Case
If you’re looking for a mastermind plot, you won’t find it here. Honestly, the only reason Greg Fester and Jessica Reid were caught is because Jessica was incredibly careless.
During the struggle inside the Stock home, a gold ring fell onto the floor. It wasn't Wayne's or Sharmon’s. It was a ring Jessica had stolen from a different house earlier in their crime spree. It had an inscription on it.
That single piece of jewelry did what weeks of police work couldn't: it pointed the finger directly at two people who had never even heard of Murdock, Nebraska, until the night they drove into it.
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A Spree Built on Boredom and Drugs
Greg Fester was 19. Jessica Reid was only 17. They lived together in Horicon, Wisconsin, and basically just decided to leave one day in April 2006.
They didn't have a plan. They just wanted to reach a beach. Somewhere warm. Arizona maybe?
Along the way, they stole cars. They burned cars. They broke into houses to find food, money, and—eventually—guns. By the time they hit the Stock farmhouse, they were armed with a 12-gauge shotgun and a .410 shotgun.
What happened inside the farmhouse?
The details are grim. They broke in through a window. They heard snoring coming from upstairs. Most people would have turned around and run. Fester and Reid went up the stairs.
Wayne Stock woke up and fought back. He wasn't going down without a fight. He struggled with Fester over the 12-gauge. That’s when Fester yelled at Jessica to "do something."
She did. She shot Wayne with the .410.
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Fester then finished it. He shot Wayne in the back of the head and then shot Sharmon in the face.
The most chilling part of the whole Greg Fester and Jessica Reid saga isn't even the murder itself. It’s what Jessica wrote in her journal five days later: "I killed someone. He was older. I loved it. I wish I could do it all the time."
The Botched Investigation and the Fallout
While Fester and Reid were driving back to Wisconsin, Nebraska law enforcement was busy ruining lives.
Because they found a single drop of blood in Matt Livers' car, they leaned on him. Hard. Livers, who has a lower-than-average IQ, eventually broke. He confessed to a crime he didn't commit, even implicating his cousin.
They spent seven months in jail.
It took the discovery of the ring and DNA testing on a flashlight found at the scene to prove that the "confession" was total garbage. This case eventually became a textbook example of how not to conduct an interrogation. It even led to a multi-million dollar settlement for the wrongfully accused men.
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Where Are They Now?
Both Greg Fester and Jessica Reid pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2007.
They are both serving life sentences.
Fester tried to argue his sentence was too harsh because of his age and history of drug abuse. The court didn't care. They pointed out that he killed two people in the sanctity of their own home for literally no reason.
Jessica tried to play a similar card, claiming Fester was the leader. But the journal entries didn't help her case. You don't write "I loved it" if you were "forced" into it.
Key Takeaways from the Case
- The Power of Physical Evidence: Without that inscribed ring, Matt Livers might still be in prison.
- False Confessions are Real: The Murdock case is frequently cited in legal studies about coerced confessions and "tunnel vision" in police work.
- Senselessness: Sometimes there is no "why." Fester admitted they didn't even need the money. They were just looking for a thrill.
If you are following this case for the legal precedents, look into the civil suits filed by Livers and Sampson. They fundamentally changed how Nebraska handles forensic evidence and interrogations. If you’re just here for the true crime aspect, it’s a stark reminder that sometimes the most dangerous people aren't the ones you know—they’re the ones who are just passing through.
The best way to stay informed on the long-term legal ripples of the Greg Fester and Jessica Reid case is to review the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rulings regarding the "qualified immunity" of the officers involved. These documents provide a deep dive into the specific ways the interrogation went wrong and what has changed in police training since.