Michael Reese

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A 40-year-old Willimantic man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the 2023 murder of Joyce Grayson, a well-loved visiting nurse from Brooklyn, Connecticut, authorities said. 

Michael Reese pleaded guilty to the charge of murder on Friday, Aug. 8, after he killed Grayson, 63, while she was providing care to him at a halfway house for sexual offenders on October 28, 2023, the Office of State's Attorney said. Grayson, a dedicated mental health nurse for over two decades, had gone to Reese’s residence to provide her usual nursing care when she was tragically attacked, investigators said. 

Authorities say Grayson was strangled and sustained blunt-force injuries to her head and body while at the house. Her body was discovered in the basement of the home after she failed to show up for follow-up appointments, authorities said. 

Police traced her phone's signal to the location and later found Reese leaving the property.

Reese was found to have several of Grayson’s personal items, including her car keys. It was discovered that after killing her, Reese had taken Grayson’s car, moved it to another location, and used her stolen debit card to withdraw money, police said. 

State’s Attorney John Fahey praised the efforts of local and state police for their thorough investigation into the crime. 

"I want to commend both agencies on their diligent investigation into the death of Ms. Grayson,” Fahey said. “While no sentence ever brings a loved one back to their family, some sense of justice was done today, in large part due to the hard work and tireless efforts of the Willimantic Police Department and the Connecticut State Police Eastern District Major Crime Squad.”

Grayson, who worked at Elara Caring, was well known in her community for caring for nearly three dozen foster children over the years.