MAN CONFESSED TO REED MURDER,
27.09.1986




Man confessed to Reed murder, ex-inmate says A FORMER Brisbane Jail inmate said yesterday a prisoner had confessed to him to the murder of Gold Coast shop assistant Linda Reed.
The inmate said Craig Andrew McConnell had admitted to him that he had killed Reed, and gave him details of the murder.
McConnell, 22, formerly of the Gold Coast, has pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to murdering Linda Reed, 21, at the Gold Coast on December 13, 1983.
The court has heard that McConnell has already pleaded guilty to two other murders _ of Tweed Heads sex shop owner Kevin Mannix and Surfers Paradise call girl Lovina Cunningham.
Graham Ralph Steer, 46, of ""The Willows'', a Central Queensland property, said yesterday he had been in jail with McConnell waiting for trial on two armed robbery charges. He said he was acquitted of the charges following a trial in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
Steer said McConnell had seen a television program in which the son of Kevin Mannix, Barry, claimed he was innocent of killing his father.
""He (McConnell) said it was a lot of bull . . . Barry was there,'' Steer told the court yesterday. ""He said that when he had been there he saw Barry on the landing or something and he said he saw Barry looking down.''
Steer said that McConnell told him Barry Mannix had been there when Kevin Mannix was murdered. They also spoke about Lovina Cunningham's murder.
Steer said that McConnell then said: ""That's not all. There's others.'' McConnell then went on to talk about the Linda Reed murder, Steer said.
Steer said McConnell told him he had killed Reed because she had seen him and a mate trying to steal a car in the Pacific Fair carpark.
""There were many discussions about the Linda Reed murder,'' Steer said.
Steer said McConnell described how Reed was ""frightened and panicky'' in the car as he drove her to near Nerang and how she told him she was recently married and might be pregnant.
""I became convinced that Craig McConnell was telling me the truth about it. He wasn't bull...,'' Steer said.
Steer said he met with detectives about six times and they had asked him to get details about the alleged murder from McConnell.
Under cross examination by Mr Kerry Copley, for McConnell, Steer denied that police had given him details about the case. He said detectives had only asked him to get details from McConnell and had not put details in his head.
Steer agreed he had convictions for dishonesty dating back to 1957.
He agreed he had received various jail sentences and terms of 3 1/2 years, one month, one year, three months, three years and nine months and a term of 6 1/2 years in June, 1978, at Newcastle for breaking, entering and stealing.
Steer denied a suggestion by Mr Copley that his profession was a ""safe cracker'' and that he was an ""emotive, cold-blooded, damning liar''.
The trial will enter its second week when it resumes on Monday