Tony Reed sentenced to 14 months for helping brother bury slain Arlington couple

A man accused of helping his brother hide the bodies of a slain Arlington couple a year ago was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison.

Tony Reed, 50, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of rendering criminal assistance. In exchange for the plea deal, the Ellensburg man agreed to testify at his brother’s upcoming murder trial in Snohomish County.

Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair also gave Reed credit for the time he has already served behind bars, according to The (Everett) Herald. He has been in the Snohomish County Jail since May 20.

“It’s not enough time,” Fair acknowledged, according to the newspaper. “It barely holds you accountable for what you did.”

Reed is accused of aiding his brother John Reed after the latter allegedly killed his former neighbors Patrick Shunn, 45, and his wife, Monique Patenaude, 46, last April hear Arlington. The couple’s bodies were buried.

In the weeks that followed the couple’s disappearance, the fugitive brothers were sighted several times in Mexico. Tony Reed later surrendered to U.S. marshals near the Mexican border.

The bodies of Shunn and Patenaude were discovered after Tony Reed led investigators to their graves. John Reed, a former neighbor who shared a driveway with the couple, had an “ongoing and constant” feud with them, authorities have said.

In July, John Reed was arrested by Mexican authorities and taken to the U.S. border in Arizona, where he was turned over to U.S. marshals.

John Reed, 54, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder. The Snohomish County prosecutor’s office announced in December that he will not face the death penalty if convicted.

The Reeds’ parents, Clyde Reed, 81, and Faye Reed, 77, have each been charged with one count of rendering criminal assistance.

This story was originally published April 17, 2017 at 6:30 PM with the headline "Tony Reed sentenced to 14 months for helping brother bury slain Arlington couple."