When Reginald Maclaren allegedly confessed to the March 25 ax murders of his wife and daughter in their Englewood apartment, police body camera footage shows him saying he killed the two women because the family was facing financial issues and he didn’t want them to “end up on the streets begging for food.”

But documents presented by the defense in his preliminary hearing Wednesday undermine that assertion for a motive, showing that the family had paid their rent for March; they had placed a deposit on a new apartment; Maclaren had recently purchased a car; and his wife had between $80,000 and $90,000 in savings. 

The body camera footage also shows Maclaren saying his daughter had cerebral palsy, and an autopsy report stated his daughter died from 23 "chop wounds."

Maclaren, 82, was arrested March 25 for allegedly killing his wife, Bethany Maclaren, 70, and his daughter, Ruth Maclaren, 35, with an ax in their residence at 901 Englewood Parkway. He was charged on April 3 with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of false reporting to authorities. 

At Wednesday's hearing, his bond was set at $2 million cash or surety, and his arraignment was set for Sept. 5.

During the hearing, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office presented evidence to convince Arapahoe County Chief Judge Michelle Amico to go forward with the charges against Maclaren.  

Attorneys from the DA’s office played the 911 call Maclaren made to law enforcement where he initially claimed he found his wife and daughter murdered in their apartment on March 25 and, when asked by the 911 operator, alleged that nephews in his family potentially harmed the two women. 

The prosecution also took testimony from Englewood Police Detectives Brian Taylor and Brant Vogle, who both recounted the steps they took to aqquire certain pieces of edvidence in their investigation.  

The DA's office also played 12-minute-long body camera footage that Taylor recorded when interviewing Maclaren at Swedish Medical Center, where the suspect was taken for preexisting medical conditions after police arrived at his apartment.  

According to his arrest affidavit, Maclaren waived his Miranda rights, and he shared information with the police at the hospital.  

In the body camera footage, Maclaren alleged that he killed Bethany and Ruth to keep the family from becoming homeless. 

He also alleged during that interview that he struck Bethany and Ruth three times in the back of the head each with an ax and he cut off all their limbs. 

According to autopsy reports presented at the hearing, Bethany’s cause of death was from six “chop wounds,” one of her legs was completely removed below the knee and her other leg was mostly removed below the knee. Additionally, the reports said Ruth died from 23 “chop wounds.”  

Both Taylor and Vogle testified that they acquired Ring video footage that showed Maclaren rolling two trash cans into the family’s apartment on March 9. They also discussed security footage of him purchasing an ax at Harbor Freight and two trash cans and a saw at Home Depot, also on March 9.  

Additional footage showed him frequently leaving and returning to his apartment on March 24 and March 25, the detectives said. 

The defense noted discrepancies in Maclaren’s alleged confession, including documentation that showed the family wasn’t struggling financially as much as Maclaren claimed. The documents showed their rent was paid, a deposit for a new apartment was paid, Maclaren had recently bought a car, and his wife had a healthy savings account. 

The defense also noted that in addition to claiming he didn’t want his family to face homelessness, Maclaren alleged God told him to prevent his family’s suffering.  

Additionally, Maclaren told Taylor he lost his job at Hospital Shared Services during the police interview.  

Also in the body camera footage, Maclaren claimed he did not regret killing his family because he “knows they are in a better place.”