Witness says he was hired to kidnap, kill N.H. man
BRENTWOOD, N.H. - John Brooks wanted two men to kidnap and torture a Derry handyman he suspected had stolen from him and find out where the missing items were, a star witness for the state testified yesterday in Brooks's capital murder trial.
Michael Benton, who is testifying as part of a plea deal with the state, said he was part of a 2003 kidnapping plan that included killing Jack Reid after they had gotten the information they needed.
"We settled on an idea to kidnap Jack Reid, and then question him," Benton testified, saying it was Brooks's idea. "We weren't sure that he would talk to us. If he wouldn't talk to us, then we would have to torture him.
"I remember [Brooks] specifically talking about using a hand torch like a butane torch and also cutting him with a razor or a knife," Benton testified. "We were pretty certain we would never be able to let him go, so we would have to kill him."
Brooks, 56, of Las Vegas is charged with capital murder for allegedly hiring Benton and three other men in 2005 as part of the plan that ended with Reid's death inside a Deerfield horse barn.
Benton pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder in exchange for his testimony against John Brooks and two other codefendants in the murder case. Benton's deal included a sentence of 33 years to life in prison.
Defense Attorney Marty Murphy suggested during the opening statement that Benton was the real murderer.
Murphy said Benton found a sledgehammer inside the Deerfield barn where Brooks had arranged a meeting with Reid, and killed Reid as retaliation for a 2003 incident in which Reid fired a gun at Benton. 